The Footsteps of Life
by Redhead Turk
Summary: Final chapter up: Epilogue. After the Meteor hit Midgar, Reno is left to rebuild his life. With the other Turks, it is up to him to climb from the depth once more. Set in AC. RenoOC
1. Prologue

For those of you who are returning to the series, welcome back! It was a short break, I know, but thanks for coming back. For those people who are brand new, welcome to the series! For much of it to make sense, please check out C'Est La Vie... it's 30some chapters, but I promise it'll be worth the read.

Now now... onto the story...

* * *

The Footsteps of Life

* * *

Prologue 

Renaldo Miller was asleep. His hair was in a red mess, and his bare shoulders peeked from the duvet. He was dreaming not of destruction but of hazelnut muffins. He picked one up and…

CLANG!

The loud noise jolted him away from the muffins, and he woke up with a start. Elena's voice was muffled, and she seemed to be apologizing for something to… someone. A sweet aroma was drifting from the kitchen. Scratching his head and trying to focus, he wondered where he was. Reaching out from the warm comforts of the bed, he looked around for something to wear. It was his habit to wear pajama bottoms but nothing on top, but sometimes he regretted it. Like this time. It was freezing in the morning, and the cold, chill air attacked his pale skin with such ferocity that he could do nothing but tremble for a few minutes.

Looking around, he found nothing to wear, and he would rather be damned than get out from the bed and pull out a shirt. He looked for his fellow Turk who shared the room with him, and did not find that person. Hmm.

"Arien!" He shouted. "Arieeeen!"

There was a shuffling noise and several muffled words in the direction of the kitchen, and then there were footsteps. A moment later, a slender woman opened the door none too quietly, with a very annoyed look on her face. "What?" She demanded. "What is it?"

"Can you get me a shirt?" He tried his best to make an innocent smile. Arien DeVir scowled violently, then sighed.

"And since when are you unable to get a shirt for yourself?"

"Well, now, yo." More grin. Arien resolutely marched over to the closet nearby, pulled out a navy blue sweater, and threw it at his face.

"Hey, no need for violence there."

"If you want to know, I was cooking," she snapped. "For those who cannot cook for themselves."

"Who's the other person in the kitchen?"

"Elena." With that short answer, she turned on her heels and left.

Reno sighed. It had been over a year and a half, approaching two years, since they had started living together. Some things changed dramatically; some things never changed. Like Arien's dislike for disturbance when she was cooking. Pulling on the sweater and pulling out his hair from the back collar of the sweater, he stretched languidly like a cat, and hopped off the bed that he and Arien shared.

The Healin Lodge was a private estate of the Shinra family for the last generation. Located a couple of miles away from the now-broken city of Midgar, it was now where Rufus Shinra resided, along with his little troupe called the Turks. Ever faithful to Rufus Shinra, the band of assassins who used to do Shinra's dirty jobs had turned into the young president's caretakers and bodyguards. Reno and Arien occasionally lived there, but most of the time they retreated to the safe haven of their house that they had bought in the outskirts of the Edge.

It was but over a year ago when Reno first encountered Arien DeVir. She was a fellow Turk, his subordinate that was assigned to him by Tseng for the soul purpose: to stop him from harrassing Elena so much. They quarreled at first, but soon they fell into a mutual relationship. They never really knew who thought up of the idea of living together. For all he knew, Arien was more of a nuisance and a hindrance to his freedom than not. But they grew on each other; after several separations, they realized that the could not be apart. It was mushy, Reno knew it, and it was unlike him. But he could not help himself. He kept missing her, the view of her long, black hair, her sarcasm, her Wutaian face that would have been considered pretty if not for the constant wry expression that decorated her features.

Since the destruction of the Meteor, the people of Midgar dispersed, mostly to the town of Kalm. Some stayed. Soon, a city began to grow around the desolate remains of Midgar, which people called The Edge. The bank had not collapsed, as its headquarters were technically in Junon.

Reno was glad that the bank survived. Arien was a proficient saver, and despite Reno's constant protests, she had made regular deposits into the bank account they owned. When the Meteor struck, their checking account was in billions. It was no big feat to purchase a small house in the growing city, and thus, that was where they officially had residence. But they often made trips up to Healin, and they often hang around Rufus, just for the fun if nothing else.

The Old Shinra monarchy was gone, with most of the execs gone as well. Scarlet was dead, the last they heard; Hojo was dead as well; Palmer and Heidegger was dead much to everyone's relief. Reeve Tuesti was leading WRO, but that was the last they had heard of him. The AVALANCHE had disbanded; Tifa Lockhart had opened yet another Seventh Heaven, which Reno and Arien visited occasionally. Barret Wallace was hanging around, scowling at the former Turks but doing nothing about it. Cloud was still Cloud, but for Arien he seemed to be a little more brooding.

As for the others, they had dispersed. Yuffie Kisaragi was around Wutai, or that was what her father had told her when Arien returned to Wutai after the chaos. Vincent Valentine, who had been alive after all these years, had left the group without much further ado. Cid Highwind was probably up in the air, and that was all they knew.

Reno stood up and yawned, and sat down on the bed again. Pulling out the shoes from under the bed, he untied the laces and started to pull them on when Arien opened the door. She looked weary; there were dark smudges under her eyes. The radical changes had taken toll on her, and it was starting to show. He waved her over.

"What?" she asked, looking a little surprised. Reno smiled, and pointed to the space between his jeans-clad legs. He grinned at her.

"What?"

He repeated the movement again.

"You want me to sit there?"

Nod.

"Uh, okay." She trotted over and sat down. He wrapped his arms around her thin shoulder and leaned forward.

"Got you." Reno grinned. His breaths touched her ear. She moved her shoulders a little, smiling, and taunted, "baby."

"You look tired, Arie," he whispered. "Take a break." He rocked her, inhaling the sweet scent of lavender from her hair and her clothes.

She turned and smiled at him. "I'll be fine," she replied, holding his hand and brushing her mouth against it. "I'll be fine…"


	2. 1: Retracing the Past

Welcome back, people! Thanks for staying. (does a happy jig)

RaspberryPolarBear - The plotline isn't terribly evident because a lot of parts are still iffy in my head. I have the main plotline down and ready to go, but I don't have the fillers between the first chapter, the climax, and the fall. So yeah. Reno and Arien's relationship wasn't too smooth to begin with, and it's getting more rickety at the moment. But no fear! Ivana Delassi, the romance expert, is always on Arien's side. I think...

StarlessEyesRemain - I know you hate cliffies, but it's a habit. And as Linkin Park pointed out (or did they?) breaking habits is tough. It's tough as heck. And you're already wondering where Arien and Reno are going! And only I know! (feels omnipotent) Anyways, it's going to be a little surprising, that's all I'm going to say right now. But there is going to be another sequel for this, and a prequel to C'Est La Vie... now if I can just get it down...

Rah - I tend to try not to make expositions too long unless it's crucial or I find it particularly touching/pretty/interesting. The toughest part is usually action, because it needs the drive and the quick tempo but each movement requires precise descriptions. (screams) but Reno is very quick-moving so I probably need more words to describe their movements. Turks are generally slower-moving then Cloud or Sephiroth according to the book, though.

Princess-Starr - Thanks for coming back! I'm guessing you'll want more sex scenes, because, you know, I write such awesome ones (heh heh heh). That's another tough thing for me though, apart from writing action; I really have no clue what they'd be saying to each other, and if I make it too uh... descriptive, I usually end up cracking up. Which freaks my mother out. So, if you like my level, then yey!

This chapter is about stuff that normal Reno-fans don't really write about often. So it might be interesting for you.

* * *

Chapter I: Retracing the Past 

Arien DeVir was, by all accounts, a regular woman. She did not have flashing eyes, or an exquisitely chiseled face, or a sweet demeanor, or an IQ of three thousand. In fact, her eyes were regular blue-green, Reno constantly taunted about her bitter expression, she definitely was not sweet, and her IQ was pretty regular for a Turk, minus Reno's. Reno's IQ did not count; she had no idea what it was. One moment he seemed a brilliant genius, next moment a dense idiot. But the point was, she was in no way extraordinary. That is, until she brushed against Shinra Company and the big fiasco with Sephiroth.

She lay in a now-familiar bed in a now-familiar house, staring into the dark ceiling, thinking. It was midnight, and the room was in a relative silence; she could hear Reno's breathing and his mumblings about an Elephadunk trampling on his pet squirrel, but she ignored it. Yet, nothing was darkness for her unless she closed her eyes; her mako-enhanced eyes had an ability called nightvision, which gathered light and magnified it so that she could see clearly. All Turks had it, but for some reason she had reacted too strongly with the vision. It gave her splitting headaches.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she ceased her thoughts. Renaldo Miller was a gifted assassin, a womanizer, a drunk, a Shinra executive, and a redhead to name a few. He was also Arien DeVir's boss, colleague, companion, and occasionally, lover. They lived in the same house, although neither of them knew what had possessed them to make such a foolish decision. But they did.

"…rie…"

She turned her head and looked into the half opened eyes of the face framed by flaming red. She suspected that Reno originally had brown eyes, just like her twin sister that she had condemned to death and herself, before the mako treatment had turned her eyes blue-green. Reno's were a shade lighter, a sort of an aquamarine, just like the stone set in the ring on Arien's right hand. His eyes fluttered, and his eyeballs moved quickly, darting left and right. He was in REM, and he was probably dreaming.

Reno shut his eyes again, mumbled, and soon was deeply asleep again. She resumed her wandering thoughts, thinking aimlessly, unsure of what they were going to do in the future.

Or what would happen to them.

* * *

"So… your mother's alive?" Arien asked, pulling at Reno's laundered shirt and hanging it on the laundry line in the small garden they owned. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Dunno. Never got around to family stuff till now, I guess," he replied. He watched as Arien finished hanging the laundry on the line. She carried the basket into the house, opening the glass thatch and tossing the basket into the corner. She came back and sat at the white table, where Reno was sitting, typing on a laptop. "And right now you get around to the entire family business? Why is that?"

"Well…" he thought about it, enjoying the very rare moment of sunshine. He tossed another cookie into his mouth. "Watching you, I guess."

"Me?" She took one cookie from the plate and popped it into her mouth as well. "Why me?"

The small house the two had bought also had a garden. Reno did not care for it, along with the rest of the house, but Arien obviously did. She carefully nurtured and cultivated the small garden into a full bloom; there were rhododendrons and poinsettias, along with bushes of lavenders and daffodils dancing in the slight wind. He had often watched fondly as the woman worked with the soil, although he did not lend a hand. He was already turning into a mush, and gardening was not going to help him regain his stance as a cold-hearted killer.

"Well, you're obviously a loving member of the family, yo, that's why," he replied. Arien kicked him.

In fact, it was a small child that had jolted the memory of his mother awake. It was a small child, dressed in brown. His dark eyes were trying to look determined, but the boy was clearly not knowing where he was. Curly, brown hair crowned his head, the way it did his own before he had dyed it red. He seemed lost, looking for something to do. Reno had seen him in the streets when he was walking around The Edge, looking for a retailer of laptops. The small child reminded him of himself when he was a small child; he vaguely remembered himself playing in the dirty streets of the Slums, his mother calling him inside for dinner. Where was she now? He had not thought about his mother for years, and now it was returning to him vividly.

"…eno. Reno."

"What, yo?" he came back to reality. He still could not get rid of the yo talk. Old habits died extremely hard.

"Do you know where your mother is? Where she lives now?"

"Uh, no." He looked at her. "Isn't that your job?"

She shook her head. "My main job as an agent was messing with computer network. I did some field work, but it was after I tracked down the target via hacking. With this mess, I probably can't track down Reeve if I wanted to. I'm about as equipped as you are, Reno. But…"

"But what?"

"We can probably track her down within a month. The Edge is still a very small town." She shrugged – one of her idiosyncrasies. "We're Turks, after all."

* * *

The search was not as arduous as the two had expected. After some snooping around, Reno discovered that his mother was alive and kicking – along with his potheaded brother and his father. The first two news brought smile to him; the last one did not. Reno decided to pay them a visit anyways. He also decided that bringing Arien, who looked like a respectable, well-educated woman, would be a good thing to do, especially against his father. 

And so on a bright Sunday morning, the two were walking down the newly constructed street. Reno was in a brown turtleneck and jeans; Arien was in a brown suede two-piece with a pink shirt underneath. The skirt was fitted, and the brown jacket made an oddly light contrast against her dark hair. They had taken leave from Rufus, who seemed too sleepy to care. They had also taken leave from Tseng, who seemed quieter since he came back. It was a rather surprising comeback, but Tseng was Tseng, and what could they say? Don't come back, we didn't miss you? Well, Reno might have been brave enough to say it, except for Elena's glare and Arien's jab in his ribs. That shut him up.

Their gait was slow and paced. Reno was pensive; how would his father take his homecoming? He knew the old man would like Arien, who looked proper, spoke properly, smiled at the right times. But he… was… well, improper. And rebellious to the hair. He knew that if he was still living under his father's roof, his hair would be all yanked out, his piercings never allowed.

They turned at the Main Street into one of the smaller alleys, where a small, grey house stood. The curtains were flowery, the windowsills immaculately white against the grim outer walls. The door was slightly ajar, so Mother was home. That was a good sign. Reno hopped onto the steps, rang the doorbell once, and waited.

"Are they home?" Arien asked. He nodded, a little tense. He had talked with her and agreed that revealing their true profession would probably unnerve the entire family. Currently, they looked like a normal young couple; it would remain this way.

The door opened, and a woman peered out. She looked a little faded, wrinkles around her eyes, and for a moment no recognition came across her face. She was a small woman, barely 5'2", and Arien wondered how Reno – who was not extremely tall but who was definitely not short either – came out of her. Reno's mother was slender, and she saw immediately where he had gotten his face. Apart from the tiredness and wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth, he was almost identical to his mother. Almost. His nose was different, and she guessed that came from his father.

She was dressed in a brown dress, and her dark hair was in a loose ponytail. She was so different from her own mother, who was motherly and loving like the woman she was seeing right now, but was definitely more delicate and fragile. Yet, she definitely had the mother look about her; that loving look that told her that whatever Reno did, she would always forgive him in the end. This was the woman who had nursed him when he was a baby, who had scolded him, who had fed him and nursed his injuries when he might have skinned his knee or jammed his finger. Here was Reno's past that she did not know.

"Hey, Mum."

"…Reno?" Tears flooded the woman's eyes as Reno bent down to be kissed and hugged. "Where were you, my darling! We were so worried when the Meteor fell! We had no idea where you were… for so many years… and I wondered, again and again, if you were eating right… if you had a place to sleep…" the woman's voice was filled with anguish and relief. Arien watched the two fondly. It was a discourse of a mother and a son, where she was not allowed and where she had no intention of stepping in. She imagined a little of herself doing the same thing to a child, her child. For some reason, the boy had the same, angular chin that the man next to her sported, along with his crooked grin. Looking at Reno, she dismissed the idea. Reno a father? Very unlikely.

"… and… oh, who is this woman?" Reno's mother finally turned attention to her. She was jolted awake from her thoughts as Reno's husky voice introduced her. "Um…. Mum, she's my girlfriend. Arien DeVir."

"Hello, Mrs. Miller," she found herself saying nonchalantly, as though as she was saying her next door neighbor's name. She found herself drifting off as Reno started to explain their relationship briefly. She was jolted awake again when Reno pulled her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied, shaking her head and refocusing. "A bit dazed."

"Yeah. Well, don't be, I need you to fend of Dad, yo." He scowled. "I really hate that old bastard. Shiva knows what he's gonna say when he looks at me…"

"Why?" She looked around. The interior was very cute if simple, with flowers in the halls and clean carpet on the floor. It was homey; she liked it.

"Because he hates my guts, that's why. I'm 'a disgrace and a failure' to the Miller family." Reno imitated his father's baritone by lowering his pitch. "He'll like you, though. Well-brought-up and proper and all that shit. He'd recommend you to break up with me and find a respectable man, yo."

"Hmm. I'll have to entertain that thought." She grinned at him.

"Here you are," Mrs. Miller pointed at a simply furnished, yet elegant living room. "Reno, your father would want to see you and Arien, so I'll call him down. Sorry, dear," she smiled at Arien. "Reno left our home when he was fifteen and-"

"-Mum-"

"-he never talked to us or saw us ever again. We missed him so much."

"Of course."

The woman left. Reno grimaced.

"Ohh, shit."

"Your choice, Renaldo. Your choice." She traced the tattoo on his cheek. "Although, I must say, you really look like a young teenager trying to look cool rather than a grown 22-year old man. Maybe that's my fault." She pursed her lips. "I guess we'll have to start with cutting your hair…"

"Never!" Reno cried, horrified.

"Never what?"

Reno became silent as Arien faced forward. She jerked him up and they both stood. Leon Miller definitely had Reno's nose, but that was where the similarity ended. His eyes were darker, his mouth more severe, losing the joviality that Reno sported about his face. He stood at least half an inch taller than Reno as well; a flash of hatred passed over Reno's face, then dissipated. The redhead had officially opened war against his father by wearing the cool poker face that he put on whenever he was going into a mission. Arien smiled. If he was going poker face, she'd go innocent.

"Why did you never contact us?" Leon boomed. He had a deeper voice than Reno too. Reno took a step forward, making his attitude become extremely cocky.

"Cuz I didn't see any reason, that's why."

"Oh ho! So that's why you made your poor mother cry, day after day, when you left."

"Mum cried?"

Was Reno really that insensitive?

"Yes. Ah, welcome," he turned and smiled at her. "I know that pathetic excuse of a human being is giving you trouble, but I hope you aren't fed up with it. Please, sit."

So they sat. There was an awkward silence and then Leon opened his mouth. "So, Miss. DeVir, how did you meet this thing?"

Reno scowled. Arien shrugged. "He's my boss," she answered simply. Leon raised his eyebrows.

"Reno, what is your job?" He asked skeptically. "Did you ask her to say that?"

"No, you fuc…" Reno shut up as Arien interjected.

"No, Mr. Miller, he really is my boss."

"Oh."

Reno's mother came down the stairs and entered the living room. "Oh, Leon," she said with a huge smile, "Reno came back! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes, Isabella," Leon smiled at his wife. It was a cordial smile, warm and full of love. It was a very harsh contrast to how he treated his son.

"They're living together, too!" Isabella gushed. Leon raised his eyebrow.

"They're living together?"

"Uh, yeah." Reno looked away. "Look, Dad, if you don't like it, deal with it. You ain't my boss now, yo."

"I don't like your tone, young man. It's disrespectful to your father."

"Yeah, well, cry me a river." Reno snorted.

"What do you do for a living?"

"Bodyguarding," Reno replied shortly.

"For whom?"

"Can't tell you." Reno replied. "And I don't give a shit what you think, old man." He stood up and looked down at Arien. "Hey, I gotta use the bathroom."

"It's upstairs, to your left, sweet," Isabella instructed. The younger Turk just nodded slightly. Reno left.

When Reno left, Leon sighed. "You must think of me as a terrible father," he said to no one in particular.

"Not really," Arien replied. "I am not the one to pass judgment."

"Ah, but I must admit, I never treated Reno and Luca fairly," he told her. "I was more severe to Reno, and neither of them knows why. It's just that Renaldo was frailer, and I saw that he would be leading a more fruitful, if harsher, life." He waved his hand noncommittally. "He was not exactly robust as Luca was."

Arien did not reply. Reno was not exactly robust, that was true. She had seen him sick only once, but then, she could not exactly say Reno had a sanguine complexion or a healthy amount of muscles.

"I'm glad you are with him, Miss. DeVir," Leon Miller told her. "Reno has not exactly been fed with too much apparent love. He needs you." A glance was shot at her.

"He probably needs you now more than ever."

* * *

"So what did you guys talk about when I was minding my own business?" Reno asked as they made their way through the streets. They were going to stop at the local food market; Reno was a little annoyed when Arien belatedly reported that their fridge was nearly empty, but he never argued with the prospect of good food. "Let's all diss Reno competition? You can tell me, babe, with that old man, I wouldn't be surprised even if you lost, yo." 

"Mm, maybe," she replied.

"He always compared me to Luca. Always. Did he tell you to leave me and stick with Luca instead? 'Cause I think he's looking for prospective wives for that pothead." He grimaced. "I'm sure you'll enjoy life being covered in chocobo manure."

"Reno, stop." She looked at him, exasperated. "You're being a little silly."

"Fine. So now I'm a silly idiot." Reno was livid. "Why don't you just go fuck yourself?"

Arien gave up. There were some things worth attempting to remedy and to change. This was not it. Reno could be a bonehead sometimes, and this was that time. Besides, she was too tired to care. The uncertain prospect of what was happening, her fears of the future, her doubts of whether she was able to rebuild her life from scratch or not, was tormenting her enough without Reno adding to it by venting his anger to her. She had a sudden impulse to just leave everything, abandon everyone, and disappear. It was certainly the easy way out.

She fastened her pace without realizing; Reno, whose ire was slowly simmering down, realized it at once. And he could see that she was not in a happy mood.

"Wait! Arien!" Starting into a quick sprint, he caught up. "Arie! Why are you walking so fast, yo?"

"Well…" Arien's anger was not an explosive one like Reno's; instead she had a tendency to fall into lapses of silence, with her replies excessively short and terse. "You did tell me to 'go fuck myself', so…"

"Arie, I'm sorry, okay! I was bugged about my dad, I always am, that doesn't mean that you can go pissy at me, I just can't control it…"

"Then I suggest you learn self-control." Without even turning, she resumed her march.

"Oh, so now you're giving me the silent treatment."

"I'm not."

"Then talk to me!"

"Just leave me alone for a while," was the reply. "I can't talk to you right now without yelling."

Reno sighed. In his mind was one thought:

What a homecoming.


	3. 2: The Invisible Agents

Okay. is being stupid and won't let me upload my document, so I copied and pasted, and the formatting became screwed up. So sorry!

RaspberryPolarBear - I'm glad you liked it! Most of the Reno stuff I read was "Reno was such a tragic child... living in the slums, making his way..." and that's fine and dandy, but I decided to give Reno a nice, sane family. Well, maybe not loving dad, but Leon Miller is not a domestically violent father or anything. The Turks... well, I guessed they woundn't be on the newspaper because I don't see much CIA agents in the newspapers. But thats just me.

Princess-Starr - I was going to kill Tseng off, but then he came back in the AC and so I couldn't. I was also going to kill Rufus off but that didn't work either. (Oh, and kudos and a guest appearance to those who could guess who the little kid was (the kid that made Reno think of his family). He's a male, by the way. ) Dunno, Tseng seemed too... uptight and annoying to just keel over and die. And Elena did say "Do in", not "Kill" at the Icicle Inn. So...

* * *

Chapter II: The Invisible Agents

"Clean up the perpetrators."

Reno's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. He was just not getting it.

"Just kill them, Reno."

Reno was not an idiot, despite what Arien thought. What he did not understand was why he had to work on his off day. Their off day. But then, they got called in so much during their off-days that it really did not matter anymore.

"That's it."

Reno turned on his heel and slammed the door shut so hard that the doorknob rattled. Tseng winced; the redhead could have a temper sometimes.

Reno slammed the door not because he was pissed. He was a little afraid that Arien would be pissed.

And that was going to be very scary.

* * *

"It's not an excursion?"

"Nope."

"Damn." Arien loaded the rounds into her gunblades, and clicked on the safety. Headset on her head, she looked as though as she was going on a regular patrol duty, back in the days when Shinra was still intact and thriving. "Great. This is just great. Off day, we get called in, you had to drive-"

"I rock at driving."

"-and we're on a clean-up job! Why me?"

Reno started to laugh. Arien looked purely miserable as she slid the guns into the holster under her arms. After the fight, the two did not speak for a full 24 hours, and then, all of a sudden, they started talking again. He was glad Arien had terminated the silent treatment. He hated those. It was worse than the girls screaming at him. It meant denial of apologies and the 'talks'. This time, it ended relatively early. That was a good sign.

The Turks were in perpetual darkness. Rufus, Reeve, and the others were public figures, who could openly go out in the light and be recognized. They could get on newspapers with no trouble whatsoever. The Turks were a little different. They were always behind the scenes, the masterminds of happenings both in Midgar and The Edge, but they were never public. They did Shinra's dirty work, and those "dirty" things usually entailed going around the law. They never made it into the newspaper; they never were on TV. It was no wonder that the Millers had no idea what Reno's actual profession was. Of course, the loving and the gentle Isabella Miller would have literally had a heart attack if she knew that her beloved son who had fled the home at age fifteen had turned into an assassin and a spy. His family standing was a little different from Arien's. Her father knew exactly what his daughter was doing, and while he did not approve, he was not too terrified by the thought either. His parents… well, different story.

Reno had actually debated telling his father what he was doing, just to rub it in old Leon's face that Reno's paycheck was – and still probably is – almost hundred times more than what Leon earned. But that would mean telling his actual profession, and Reno did not have the willpower to break his mother's heart. How would she react if he had casually told her that he killed innocents and the damned alike as his profession? He did not even want to imagine.

He slid a pistol into his belt and watched as Arien did a check of her belongings. He was not a good marksman, and his aim was terrible; that was why he tended to rely on close combat with his trust EMR. Arien, on the other hand, was originally trained in the military academy as a sniper, and so was good at shooting. She felt her belt and her pockets, making sure that she had enough spare rounds. Worst comes worst, she'll rely on EMR as well, but Arien hoped that would not happen. It was a little hard to reach into the pocket lining her thigh for the nightstick. Besides, beating someone to death – literally – was Reno's expertise, not hers.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Is Rude already out?"

"Yes."

"O-kaay, let's go," Reno sang. He pushed open the door; Arien followed. Trotting down the wooden stairs, they went behind, where a car sat quietly, waiting for a driver. Rude was already there, leaning on the car and holding a manila folder. He silently handed it to Arien, who thanked him.

"Step in."

Minutes later, they were speeding down the slope. Reno let go of the brakes and turned to Arien, who was reading a profile. "Brief us, will ya?"

"Target band named TDS… origin unknown… current base in The Edge." She read off. "Code three, top priority. Wow, what did they do?"

"Are you sure it's code three?"

"That's what it says." Arien shrugged as she shuffled through the papers in her lap. "Yep, code three. This group must have pissed Rufus off big-time."

"Well…" Arien was not in the Turks when almost the entire Turks squad was wiped out by this organization. Rude was, and from the expression on his face, Rude surely remembered the incident. Violent, aggressive and looking just to kill, Turks and the TDS were long-time enemies, longer than The Avalanche Reno still could not forget the night when they had launched an attack in each individual apartment of the Turks, nearly exterminating all of them. Reno had barely survived; he had literally clobbered the insurgent to death with a nightstand. The next morning when he had arrived to the office, Tseng had looked at him in horror as he realized that nearly two-thirds of the squad – including Veld himself – was assassinated. The battle was opened, and it was an ugly one. With the recent fiasco with Meteor and Sephiroth, Reno had completely forgotten about them. He wanted to beat himself on the head.

And now, with the entire debacle finished and the period dotted after the final sentence, they were off to wipe out twenty-some people. With three.

Was Tseng crazy?

He opened the window; the lapel on his jacket flapped as the wind attacked the two with stinging ferocity. Arien hunched over as the papers threatened to fly away. Rude adjusted his sunglasses on his nose and opened the other window.

It was an awful morning, like always. And Reno really did not want to be here. Like always. He could seriously use a nap.

Mornings just plain sucked.

He automatically slammed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt. Arien, who was more than used to Reno's catastrophic driving, had already braced herself and was sticking to the seat like a newt. His buddy was unperturbed, sitting as if nothing had happened. Reno looked back. And laughed.

"It's not funny," she retorted, pressing the button as the door opened. "It's not funny at all."

"Uh huh."

Reno had parked in a dark alley where apparently all life-forms had taken aversion to. No one was there; nothing stirred, nothing moved. Reno bent down and pulled open a manhole. It creaked on the hinge that it was attached to; most manholes were secured to the grounds these days, or otherwise they'd get stolen. "Ladies first," he said cockily.

Arien pulled out her gun. "I'll pass."

"Whatever you say." He posed and jumped into the darkness in one quick flourish, his flaming red hair trailing after. Arien sighed. Reno just had to do everything with flourish. Tensing, she followed. She landed in a crouching position, one knee on the wet ground and another by her chest. It took several moments for her nightvision to kick in.

"Okay, yo?"

"Yep." She stood up, looking around. Rude landed next to her in a small ball, and he stood up and dusted himself. They were in a… a tunnel. That led down to apparently everywhere under the city. A sudden thought that the three can get lost and wander in here for days crossed her mind; Arien nearly laughed at the absurdity of it. The thought itself was ridiculous.

"We'll have to stick together," Reno observed. "I really don't fancy getting stuck here and buddying up with rats."

Uh, okay, so maybe the thought was not too ridiculous after all.

They started to proceed quietly through the tunnels, their visions enhanced by the nightvisions. After about ten yards of quiet march, they came across a door. Reno pressed his ear to it.

"There's definitely people in there, and I doubt they're having a Sunday school picnic," Reno reported. "Ready?"

Arien pulled out both the gunblades and clicked the safety off. She nodded. Rude just merely pulled on his gloves. Reno kicked the door open.

They were fast, but the three were a little faster, a little more prepared. In a flick of the wrist Reno sent his Golden Pyramid to the two to the side, immobilizing them. That left four. Arien dived and skidded all the way to the left of the room, and realized this was not a smart idea. She was getting barraged with bullets. Rude was engaged in the corner of the room with one another, but it looked like Rude was winning the boxing match. That meant nobody was in trouble except her.

And so she ran across the room. Cartwheeling and her hair flying, she pulled the triggers at once. A bullet grazed her leg but she barely felt it; instead she landed on her feet as two groaned and fell to the ground.

Two more to go.

Reno had already beaten one into a pulpy mess and he had finished shooting the other immobilized one through the head with such laziness that Arien found it a little appalling. This deliberate slowness was just asking for trouble.

And sure enough, another was raising his arms to shoot Reno. Sliding one gunblade through her belt, Arien pulled out a small knife from the belt and threw it. It went nowhere close to the shooter but it did enough to distract him; Reno turned and whacked the man in the face with a fully charged EMR. The man fell voicelessly to the ground, his face blackened and charred.

The last one threw the Uzi onto the floor. "I give up!" The man yelled.

Reno pulled the trigger of the pistol in his left hand. The bullet left a gaping hole in the man's forehead, and he keeled over voicelessly. Rude kicked the corpse away; the room was filled with the bloody stench. The two males looked through the bloody bodies for keys and other things they deemed important to proceed. Finally, Reno stood up.

"Next!"

They walked single file, Reno in the front, Arien in the middle, and Rude bringing up the rear. Reno had excellent hearing abilities; Arien's nightvision allowed her to see almost as clearly as if she was in broad daylight. They walked through the tunnel and came to a fork. The leader turned left without hesitation.

"Look, Reno," Arien whispered. "Are you sure this is the right direction?"

Reno turned and flashed a grin. "Nope," he replied cockily. "But I know what I'm hearing."

"Okay…" She looked a little unsure.

"Don't worry. I know where I'm going… I think."

"Because that is supposed to reassure me," Arien muttered darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

They proceeded, their footsteps echoing in the tunnel. The ground was wet, and the puddles made splashing noises against the concrete. Reno's heavy shoes made noises; Arien's heeled loafers made small clicks. Rude, however, was silent. Finally, Reno stopped.

"Arie, see anything?"

"I see… a door." She looked at Reno. "To your left."

Reno felt the wall, and his hand came across a knob. He heard crowds talking, apparently entertaining their own amusements. He discerned dozen different voices, perhaps even more.

"Bingo, Arie," he whispered. "Good job."

"Biggest room?" Rude's voice rippled through the stagnant air. Reno nodded and replied, "Yep."

"Okay, listen up," Reno commanded softly. "We aren't gonna storm this place, that's called foolish suicide. Instead, we're gonna smash CT gas in there then bomb the shit outta the room. The fire should do the rest." He waited to hear assent, which he did. "Rude, stuff."

Rude produced a long can, about the length of an adult's arm, with a strange cap on it. Reno lay flat on the floor, received the can from Rude, and carefully laid the can by the door, a straw attached to the nozzle. He stuck a very short portion of the end of the straw into the door, then tied a string onto the pin that was in the nozzle.

Meanwhile, the other two were busy sticking white clay onto the doorframe. Tseng had explained that this was a new explosive, relatively small but causing large fires. It was moldable like clay, looked like clay, but with one command from a programmed cell phone it would ignite. Soon, the door and the doorframe were patchworked in white clay.

Reno stood up, still holding onto the string. "Ready?" he asked. The other two nodded.

The CT gas was commonly used among households as a fuel. It was highly compressed flammable gas in a can, and was often used for barbecue. However, Reno had thought up of a clever idea as using an extra-large can of CT gas in the room. The gas would be released in the air, unknown to the targets; the CT gas was odorless and colorless. When the flammable gas had filled the room, they would just click the explosives to on. The fires caused by the explosives were supposed to catch onto the gas in the air.

Reno jerked the string, and the pin was pulled out with a small ping. "It's gonna take about fifteen minutes for the can to empty," Reno muttered. "Arie, time it."

"Roger." She pulled her left sleeve back and looked at the time. "We better walk away."

"Yeah, good idea." He looked around. "Got the cell?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Let's leave."

The three trekked through the tunnels, Arien keeping the watch on time. When they went about fifteen yards down the tunnel, Reno stopped them. "This should be enough. We don't wanna be too close to the next checkpoint. Time?"

"Twelve to go."

"Ah shit, I hate waiting," Reno complained. "Got anything fun, Rude?"

"…" was Rude's reply.

"I'll take that as a no. Man, this is boring." Reno leaned onto the tunnel wall. "Our next checkpoint?"

"That's the last," Arien replied. "It's about a ten minute walk from here, I think."

""Eh, great." Reno flicked on the EMR, then turned it off. Then on, then off. Blue light flared in the darkness every time he turned it on.

Time passed in silence until Arien informed, "It's fifteen minutes."

A sly grin flashed across Reno's face. "Okay. Fire in the hole."

Arien pulled out a cell phone and keyed in the command. The three flattened themselves to the wall and braced themselves for the impact of the show.

There was a sudden phoom, and then fire was spewing out from the shattered doorframe. There were several explosions, as well as humanoid figures wreathed in flames came jumping out of the room, clutching their heads and shaking left and right. All of a sudden the tunnel was filled with orange light, and Arien groaned quietly as the light stabbed her eyes. Their screams were almost voiceless, but it was anguished and in agony. There were loud crashes and bangs from the room, and it was obvious that the room was an inferno.

Reno woke up from the entertainment first. "Well, that was entertaining," he commented. "Arie, take the lead. It's your turn."

"Fine." She left the wall. "Ready?"

The march was relatively short. There was one light hanging above the door like a forlorn candle left there to burn. However, no light escaped from the crack at the bottom of the door.

"Okay, Rude," she turned after stopping. "As I take down the door, blow the light."

"Gonna do some mad stunt?" Reno grinned. "I can shoot, you know."

"I don't trust you with a pistol farther than I can throw a truck, but that's not saying much." She pulled out her gunblades and clicked it to Automatic. She took a step back, then sprinted, delivering a double-foot kick squarely into the door. At that moment, a quiet "psh" sounded, and the light bulb shattered, raining the three with small glass shards. The door gave way and Arien slid in.

It took less than a second for Arien DeVir to recover; it took more than a second for those of the TDS, who had no idea what was coming. Arien jerked up and started to shoot everyone in sight; Reno and Rude entered, weapons in hands, and launched an assault. All the members of the TDS were dead within a minute.

"Done…" Reno started to say, when a shot sounded. Reno turned and saw Rude crumble to the floor.

"Shit!" Reno reached over and tried to support is friend, but stumbled under the big man's weight and both landed on the floor. A figure struggled in the corner, but Arien saw it and shot it through the head. While Reno was casting Fire to heal his friend – Rude was the only one who had the Cure materia – Arien flicked on the headset.

"Code two! Code two! Agent down! I repeat, agent down! Requesting immediate pick-up! I repeat, Code two! Code two!"

* * *

"I'm home."

Arien did not stop to look up. "How's Rude?" she asked, continuing her task. Currently, it was making the pie crust.

"He's perfectly fine. It was a bit of a scratch."

Arien stopped her hands from kneading the butter and the flour. " Reno, people don't keel over from scratches."

"I meant that it was a scratch in Turk level. Regular duds would be screaming, yo." He waltzed over to the kitchen. "What's for dinner?"

"That is yet to be discovered. Go get changed." She shooed him away with a hand covered in white flour. Now that he observed her, she had a smudge of flour on her nose as well. And on her forehead. And all over her jeans.

"Holy, Arie. What did you have in this kitchen? A flour bag roadkill?"

She shot a death glare. The redhead laughed and walked away, whistling.

Moments later he came back in a black T-shirt and black jeans, watching interestedly as Arien shook out some flour on the counter and started to roll out the crust with a rolling pin.

"That actually looks fun, yo."

"It's not." She fished out a circular cookie cutter from a drawer and started to punch out circles in the dough. Each one landed onto the cupcake baking pan as she picked each one up and flung them to the side. Reno slithered into the kitchen, plunked himself into a chair on the table, picked up the remote and turned on the TV. Meanwhile, Arien quickly washed her hands and grabbed the sauce pan that was on the stove. Tilting the pan over the each mold in the cupcake pan, she poured out white creamy sauce with orange carrots and peas swimming in the white into the each shell. It smelled good.

When each mold was filled with the white sauce, Arien sprinkled each shell with cheese. Grabbing the oven muffs, she opened the oven where something was sizzling, and slid in the cupcake pan into the oven. Shutting the oven with her foot, she took off the muff, sighed contentedly, and sat down across from the redhead, who was intently watching the Cartoon Network.

"You're so childish."

"We went through this conversation the first time we slept together. And as I said before, what the hell is wrong with Spongebob?"

Arien looked away, but Reno could see that she was choking down laughter. "Nothing," she finally forced out. "Nothing at all."

"You know, I've killed for less than that."

"Yes, but I make you dinner." She winked. "That merits for something."

The dinner was good as usual. The trout was baked in gooseberry sauce until it was golden brown, and the small tarts filled with white cream sauce were delicacies. But Rude was still injured, and that gave a dark air over the dinner table. The two Turks, no matter what kind of game faces they put up, were feeling guilty.

"Ah hell," Reno said between the mouthfuls. "Why can't I just lead a goddamn fucking quiet life as a Turk?"

* * *

Tseng was thinking. Despite his current situation as a bodyguard of the president of the fallen company, he was still immaculate, not a strand of hair out of its place. His hands were well taken care of, and his suit was immaculately clean. All in all, he was the antithesis of Reno. Hearing soft breaths as Rufus slept, he sat in the room, arms and legs crossed. The three had dealt a serious wound to the TDS by blowing up one of the main headquarters, but the ultimate boss, the brain of the organization, was still live and kicking. And he should not be. But who was to go? Rude was coming back in four days; Elena and he had to be with Rufus.

Tseng really did not want to see the two out on the street. Especially Reno. That kid had a slight tendency to go postal every chance he got, and Tseng could not be responsible for someone who thought it was mighty fun to just randomly waltz out into the street and shoot people when he was piss-ass drunk. But… did he really have any other choice? At least Reno had a pretty safe history stating that he would get his job done. True, he might have involved innocents in the process. Tseng sighed; maybe Reno wasn't really suited for this job. His motto was "dead don't talk", and he felt no remorse about killing innocent bystanders as far as his target was dead.

"I'm going to regret it," Tseng told himself as he picked up the phone and dialed. "Damn. Damn, damn…"

* * *

"Yo, whaddup, Tseng."

Tseng immediately regretted dialing the number, but it was too late. " Reno, I need to speak to Arien. Now."

"She's busy right now." She was in her room talking with Ivana Delassi. Zen and Ivana were not in Midgar when the Meteor fell on their heads; they were getting married in Nibelheim. Arien quickly contacted them when they recovered from the disaster and told them what had happened. They had lost contact for few months as the Turks disappeared to Healin Lodge, but now they were back in touch. Reno pressed the phone to his ear. "What happened, yo?"

"I need Arien to infiltrate the computer network under The Edge." Tseng sounded tense. "We're taking out the last of the TDS, and we need the coordinates, the entire scheme. Rufus' order."

"Uh, right. I'll tell her that." Reno paused, then asked, "How's the Prez?"

It had been discovered that Rufus Shinra was inflicted with some alien disease. No one had ever seen it before; depending on the severity, the disease could prove fatal. It came suddenly without warning, and the skin oozed black pus and it sent the patient in convulsing fits of pain. The Turks were fearful at first, but soon they discovered that Rufus' case was not so heavy. Still, they were living on the edge, caring for Rufus more than ever before. Without Rufus, they were without identity or the means to live.

"He's doing fine," Tseng replied to Reno's question. "No fits or anything."

"mm, kay." Reno hang up and stood there, hand still on the receiver. His red hair fell over his eyes, but his hair was the least of his problems.

* * *

Arien DeVir was in a moral crisis. Her mind was like a dam; it stocked up on feelings, frustration, anger, sadness, all the things that she never showed to anyone, even to those who were closer to her than anyone else. But sometimes her dam broke, and all those feelings came gushing out in a jumbled stream.

Ever since she had discovered (from Reno's confession, of course; at least she could be thankful for his honesty) that Reno could not keep check of his desires, her mind had a small corner that was seething and burning in fury. She had given up being angry or sad when the Meteor was approaching, and when the Lifestream washed over the land, she felt everything had ended. But not everything did. Life still went on, and as she went back on track, setting up routine patrolling the streets, visiting Healin Lodge, talking with Tseng and carrying out assignments, her old burning fury returned, intensified to such an extent that it broke her emotional dam almost ten times faster than it usually did. And finally, after sporadically lashing out at him and nearly getting in a shooting match, the two begged Ivana to come for help.

And so now the two were sitting in her temporary office as she told the story quietly, without much tone in her voice. She was unemotional and cold as she retold the story from the beginning, on that fateful day, when she had seen Reno randomly copulate with a secretary in the copy room, before the Meteor fiasco even existed. How he sporadically asked her out. How she said yes. And so on.

Ivana listened to her story in amazement, not by its romantic nature (it really was not), but rather by Arien's controlled voice. Was this how she sounded before she killed? Arien DeVir sounded almost like she was reading out of a department report in Urban Development, also known as "Reeve's land of boredom".

"… and that is my story."

"Do you love him?"

Arien looked at her curiously. "Love who?" She asked stupidly.

"Well…" Ivana twirled her hands in a fluid motion. " Reno, I guess."

"I don't think so." Arien shrugged as if that was her final answer. "But…"

Silence. Ivana waited for the next phrase to come out.

"He's like… salt to me. I don't think salt is especially good or savory, you know, but you need it, or otherwise food tastes bad." She closed her eyes and cocked her head. "I don't know, Ivy. I don't know."

"Arien."

She turned; she looked tired and gaunt in the orange light of the sunset. The light caught her hair, played with it, turned it into amber strands. "Look outside," she said. "Life's out there. I never knew that there were so many people, so many lives, so many steps in this world…"

"Arie, that's nice and romantic, but Tseng just gave us a call."

She straightened in her chair by the window. Ivana had gone home; she and Zen Flescher seemed to be more in love with each other than ever. Arien envied them; she wished she could immerse herself into making a home and whatnot, but it looked like she and Reno were going to lead a perpetual love-hate relationship. They could never be like the "sweet couple", as they were known in the Former Shinra. For the two Turks, love was another hole in their armors; love was not sugar, but rather a battlefield. Sometimes she wondered why she had to lead such a relationship. But was something bound to change?

No.

"What did Tseng say?" she asked. Her voice was breathy as usual, and low-toned, but if Reno was careful enough he would have heard a melancholy tone. Sure enough, he did.

"Something's bothering?"

"Mm, no." She played with her hair. "What did Tseng say?"

"He needs you to infiltrate the computer network in The Edge."

"There's a network?" Arien sounded skeptic. "Since when?"

"Don't ask me, I don't have a fuc…"

Arien was not listening. She leapt out of the chair and grabbed the handset of the cordless phone that was sitting on the dresser. "DeVir."

Reno watched Arien talk, and watched her pale dramatically under the light of the setting sun. She started shaking visibly; he stood up and wrapped his arms around her shoulder as she continued to shake.　Dropping the phone onto the carpeted floor with a dull thud, she buried her face in his shoulders.

"No… no!" she moaned. "Ah shit, tell me this is a dream…"


	4. 3: Life in Wutai

Long expositions in this chapter, and couple of onomatopoeias. I'm still practicing, so please cut me some slack!

RaspberryPolarBear - Heh. StarlessEyes will be screaming "Join the club!" The only thing I seem to be good at is cliffhangers, and I hate it myself, so what can I say? Sorry ifI sound short, I was writing an English paper on Huckleberry Finn which bored me out of my mind and into Reno's bed... I mean, my bed. (is beaten to death by random reno fangirls)

Princess-Starr - that makes three of you. You guys should really start "We hate Cliffhangers" group or something... and I'll join :-D. I hate cliffies. I really do. But somehow I can't stop. Help Anyways, that isn't the point! (Sleep deprivation and raging fever for the past couple of days isn't conducive on writing) Anyways...

Not my best chapter. Maybe my worst. Dunno. But please, bear patience and read on...

* * *

Chapter 3: Life in Wutai

Arien was asleep on Reno's shoulder, which might have merited much envy. She herself did not believe that the envy was well merited either. Reno's shoulder was bony and hard, and it hardly served as a pillow. In her half-dream state, she decided that something that was supporting her head was definitely not well suited. It hurt.

Reno, on the other hand, was preoccupied. He was returning to Wutai and was meeting her father for the first time properly. It was really too bad they could not meet under a happier occasion. But still, first time was first time, and he decided that he wouldn't worry about it. Arien should have told Old Myers (his real name was something completely different and definitely more Wutaian, but for Reno, Arien's father was Myers DeVir) that he was no good boy. If she didn't… well, that was not his problem. He raised the hand that was not pinned down by Arien's torso and caressed her face, removing the hair that covered her eyes. She looked wan and seemed to have aged a decade over the night. Well, that was to be expected. Finishing the glass of Costa Del Sol 25 red wine and picking at the remaining dish of olives and cheese that Arien had ordered, he looked outside from the small window by the woman's seat. He suddenly remembered the night before, the hour that plunged his girlfriend into panic and hysteria.

The call from the night before was not a herald of joy. Arien DeVir's twin sister, Reniel DeVir, was returned to Wutai by Arien's friends after Professor Hojo's assistant attempted to implant raw, unsynthesized materia and mako into the Turk. Unknowing the plan, Arien and Reniel made a switch to serve their own purposes; Arien just wanted to get out, and Reniel wanted Renaldo Miller. Reniel, who was just a Shinra secretary and had no training or the mako treatment that her sister had, reacted violently with the implant; the implant had rendered the young Wutaian witless and debilitated. With no hope of extended life, Ivana Delassi and Zen Flescher smuggled the twin out during one night and returned her to Wutai, where at least she could die in peace. The call had informed the Turks that Reniel DeVir was in a spasmodic fit and was in danger. Abandoning Tseng's orders and requesting immediate suspension from all duties as Turks, the two left The Edge and caught a flight that went to Wutai at once. Arien herself really had no idea why she was doing this. She hated Reniel. But then, she had condemned her twin sister to a slow death and it was the least she could do for Rennie and her father. Reno came with her without any question or words. She wondered why he came along, but she was thankful that he did. She would rather have someone with her than none at all.

"We are landing shortly to our destination; please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing," the intercom spoke. Arien shook her head, mumbled, and woke up. She reached out and popped an olive into her mouth. Her pink turtleneck was almost white in the sunlight. Reno looked at her.

"We're nearly here. Oh, by the way, you look good in pink."

They walked from the airport to the center of the town. They never carried around much luggage; they came in few duffel bags but nothing else. Bags on shoulders, they waded their way through the crowded avenues, Arien in the lead and Reno following. Even though Shinra had defeated this metropolis over seven years ago, life was still teeming in the houses and the stores; people lived here, carried out their lives. It was late into the night, and stars were twinkling in the indigo evening sky; people were rushing about, doing last minute shopping and vendors closing their stores. A fishery was yelling, "Last sale for today! Good fish! Half-price for all fish!" Arien stopped momentarily to observe the fish, exchanged few rapid words in Wutaian, and then suddenly made a purchase, then walked on. Reno could guess what was going to be on the dinner table tonight. Again.

The two turned around Turtle Paradise and walked a few more lengths, when the woman stopped in front of a small house. The house had a very low doorframe and a very low roof, and the windows were curtained and shut. Without hesitating, she stepped up to the door.

"Father!" Arien knocked. "Father, please, open the door!"

The door opened a little, and an eye peered out. "Arien!" Myers DeVir exclaimed. "Oh, my daughter…"

"May we come in?"

"Of course." He opened the door wide and saw a redheaded figure standing behind her, grinning. She followed his gaze and turned her head.

"Oh… uh, Father?" She gestured vaguely. "Meet Reno."

* * *

As far as Reno cared, Myers DeVir looked nothing impressive. Like father, like daughter, as the old saying went. Well, this applied. Tall, thin and angular, the old man emitted an aura still particular to spies – mess with me, you're dead. Still, when he looked upon his daughter, he turned into a father – a smiling but a worrying father. 

Arien was staring into her tea, and Reno secretly wondered if she was trying to discern the future from the tea – or something. She sat, motionless, after returning from putting the fish in the fridge, like a marionette with the strings cut. Inhaling the cigarette smoke and feeling the nicotine crave abate, he looked around his surroundings. It was a small house, but a good one, and each nook and cranny had a woman's touch that remained undisturbed. It wasn't Arien's or Reniel's – it was quite distinctively someone else's. Probably Arien's mother. Myers was not wearing the regular clothes from Midgar but traditional Wutaian kimono and hakama; his raven hair was cult to a little longish length, up to his shoulders. Her chin – the narrow, angular chin – and the hair was straight from the man sitting in front of him.

Looking around even more, he realized there was no picture of what could be presumed as Flera DeVir. Arien had told him once what her mother looked like – it was a vague memory, but she could still describe her quite well. According to Arien's memory, Flera's hair was brown and slightly wavy, with full lips, large blue eyes and a gently sloping nose. But he could find no picture of her. He surmised that maybe Myers could not bear being reminded of his wife all day long. After all, the infamous Shinra spy was said to be in love with the gentle perfume maker so much.

"It's getting late, Arien," Myers said finally. "And you have to get up early to see Rennie tomorrow. Why don't you go to bed… oh, wait." He looked down. "We only have two beds…"

"Father," Arien said, first hint of smile coming to her face. "Reno and I have been in same bed before. Another time won't kill us. Although…" She shot a sideway glance. "If you kick me, Renaldo Miller, you're sleeping on the floor. Got it, buster?"

"Got it," he replied, grinning.

The bath was still Wutai style. Washing the care off her body, she dipped a large basin into the tub and splashed herself with it, reveling in the water that did not constantly beat on her. Her hair was glossy from the moisture, and her face was scrubbed clean.

After making sure that the water was not too cold, she stepped into the tub and sank herself into the warm comfort of the water. She still disliked the Midgar way of taking a bath – it was what she called "cat's bath", which was merely a lick and a promise. Despite the circumstances, she was happy to be back, to the old home, where she knew how things worked. Sure, she knew how things worked in The Edge and Midgar, but she could not get rid of the feeling that she was an outsider. No matter what she did, it was obvious that she was not a native.

Her contemplation was broken when Reno barged into the bathroom, his hair free from the elastic, stark naked except for a towel around his hip.

"Yarrgh!" She screamed and backed and kicked all at once. Her foot connected solidly with the tub and he and she screamed again. The towel fell onto the floor in a white "fluff", but neither of them cared. They were glaring at each other, Arien in the tub, Reno in the doorway.

"I'm still taking a bath!" She shouted.

"You've been in it for almost an hour, yo! What are you trying to do, lose weight?"

Ouch. Touchy subject. Arien's nostrils flared. "You… you insensitive jerk!" She yelled. "You don't give a damn about anything, do you!" She stood up from the tub, making a loud "splash".

"You know…" Reno grinned.

"What?"

"I've never seen you naked in this good light before." He made a motion with his hands as if he was holding a camera. "Pasha!" He mouthed with a wink.

Arien screamed and tried to sit back down. She slipped and hit her head on the rim of the tub with a slight "gonk", and wailed in pain. Reno stepped in, grinning. Closing the thatch, he sat down on a low stool and grabbed the bottle of shampoo.

"By all that's holy and unholy, Arie…" he cackled. "You're hilarious."

More whimper.

Myers DeVir grinned slightly and shook his head.

* * *

Arien woke up the next day to a very early sunshine. Stretching and yawning, she nearly kicked Reno when she stretched her legs. Come to think of it, why was his leg on top of her lower abdomen? And why was his hair in her mouth? Spitting out the red hair and disgusted by the fact that Reno's hair was in her mouth, she stretched again, then lay there for a moment, thinking. Reno was not a very good sleeper. He tossed around, kicked and punched, and it was not a rare occasion in which he ended up upside down on the bed. There was even one time when Reno's foot was on her face. 

Giggling at her own reaction when she found out that the heavy object on her face was not a muzzle but a foot, she sat up and stretched her foot onto the floor. It was not exactly a bed; it was a futon, and the floor was made of braided straw panels. She was home, away from the Midgarian conveniences such as beds and carpets that really weren't conveniences. She was in Wutai, and that meant natural conveniences. No cars, no fizzing beer that went everywhere, no cracks sold in the depth of the slums, no pollution. Even the air tasted good.

Of course, that would be all lost to Reno. He was a city kid through and through, raised in the polluted slop called Midgar Slums. One happiness that came from the destruction of Midgar was the destruction of the slums. Only good came out of that.

Except… Reno missed the pollution. He liked nature, sure, but he liked the excitement and the constant movement of the city even more. Arien sighed, then stood up and walked over to the duffle bag sitting placidly in the corner. Pulling out a cotton blue shirt and jeans, she put the attire on, and combed her hair. Elastic came off her wrist and held her lengthy hair in a high ponytail. Watch came onto her wrist, and a pistol went to the jean waist. Just in case.

She was leaving the room to wash her face when Reno woke up. "What the hell…?" he asked groggily. Arien snorted. First minute awake and out came the words "what the hell". Not "good morning" or "hey" or any civilized greetings. Just "what the hell".

It was not passion that held them together, she realized, as she looked for a towel in the shelf. It was not exactly love either. They weren't exactly lovey-dovey anymore; rather, it was companionship and friendship. And maybe love. Maybe.

It was a big maybe.

Fishing out a white fluffy towel, she splashed her face with cold water. The soap was generic and not the one she used in The Edge household, but she still used it. It smelled slightly of ginger; splashing more water on her face to get rid of the soap, she rubbed her face with the towel. She was now fully awake. And face the inevitable. Or not.

Walking out of the bathroom, she returned to the bedroom where Reno was sitting up, scratching his head. It was like a ritual. He had to scratch his head before he did anything else. Kneeling down by Reno's side, hands on the floor for support, she breathed, "Reno?"

"Yo, whaddup, babe." He smoothly kissed her and grinned. "You want to tell me something."

"Uh yeah." She blinked as his hair flashed in her eye. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" he sat up straighter. "What?"

"I'm going to see Rennie today, and…"

"You want me to come with ya." He shrugged. "Sure."

* * *

They walked. Without breakfast, they left early, sneaking to the front door Turk style, trying not to wake Myers up. They both knew the old retired spy was a light sleeper – after years of life on alert, you had to be. 

Arien was shaking a little, and Reno could see why. "You okay, yo?" he asked lightly.

"No," she replied. "It was my fault. All my fault."

Okay, so Arien was in the lapse of Cloud-ish "it was my fault, let me wallow and atone in my sin in peace". Reno shrugged. He could not do anything about it. Instead, he enjoyed the sunshine as it beat on his hair, his face, his pale green shirt he was wearing. After living with Arien, his attire had become brighter, and there were more pastel colors among his blacks compared to before, much to his chagrin. They were a weird spectacle – a black-haired woman in a pale blue shirt, a red-haired man in a bright green.

They sewed through the avenues like a needle dipping in and out of the cloth, when Arien stopped her gait. Her lips trembled in fear as she opened the door.


	5. 4: Black Stain

RaspberryPolarBear - hahaha, my solitary reviewer for Chapter III! I really don't know what to say - I'm speechless for once. I dont know if that's good or bad...

Depending of reviewee's numbers, I might cut this story really short, because AP's are coming up and well... dunno. Depends. I will merit those who reviewed faithfully with the entire story, however, even if I do cut this short.

Short chapter, but it is leading to the plot.

* * *

Chapter III - Black Stains 

The interior of the small house was clean, with light green ceramic tiles decorating the walls with its angular shape. Even though it was early in the morning, brilliant fluorescent lights illuminated the corridors; several women dressed in white and green uniforms were going in and out of the doors that lined the corridors.

"What is this place?" Reno asked, wrinkling his nose at the strong odor. It was the smell of medical herbs and disinfectants that permeated the air, but Reno never really had any relations within a medical facility except with some Shinra physicians, and that was inside a bed, not inside a hospital. He himself had never really been seriously ill. Sure, he was in the hospital for a couple of days after the mako treatment when he joined the Turks, but that was about it.

"It's an asylum," Arien replied. Striding to the front desk, she quietly said, "Reniel DeVir."

"Four doors down, to your right," the woman said without looking up. Arien resumed her gait. Their footsteps echoing, Reno followed. After a dozen steps or so, she stopped in front of a plain door. She placed a hand on the knob, then paused, her expression unsure.

"Look, Arie, you can't avoid this forever," he whispered over her shoulder.

"I know. It's just that…" she never clarified what made her stop; she opened the door in a slow motion. The door creaked, then opened.

Each bed was curtained off ensuring the patients' privacy, but a nurse was just exiting the room. She saw the two, and smiled. "Oh, visitors! Who are you here for?"

"Reniel DeVir," Reno replied, as Arien kept her silence.

"The middle bed to your left. Our patients love visitors. So glad you came." Smiling gently, the nurse nodded, picked up the clipboard on a stool nearby. "I'll be hanging around. If you need anything, just give us a holler, okay?"

"S…sure." Arien replied, her voice cracking and husky. Hand in hand, the two Turks walked over to the bed, and opened the curtains. A dark-haired, slender form was lying on the bed, unmoving.

"Reniel…" she whispered. The doppelganger turned glassy eyes to her sister; her mouth moved, but no coherent sound came out. Arien nearly broke in tears; her entire body shook, and she blinked couple of times to keep the tears out.

"Arie," Reno reminded. Pulling up a chair from nearby, he made her sit down first. She sat, oddly composed in her posture, not looking at what used to be her sister.

"Rennie," she started finally. She was nervous, the redhead could tell; she fidgeted, picked at her fingers with the other, clenched and unclenched her hands. Then, suddenly, she held her sister's limp hand. "I don't know if you understand me, but…" she struggled as she looked for words. "I'm here to… apologize."

No response. Reniel lay there like a limp doll.

"It was… my fault," Arien said softly, but fast. "It's all my fault. Please, forgive me."

Her eyes moved. Arien did not know whether it moved just because it was supposed to, or because she was responding.

The two sisters turned silent, Arien still holding Reniel's hand. The younger sibling had changed dramatically; her cheeks were hollow, and her raven hair was trimmed short, almost cropped to the scalp. There were dark smudges under the eyes.

Reno was sharply aware of the clock ticking, although he saw no clock around. The clicks that the clock made was annoying, like a small sonar gnat in his head. With that, he was suddenly aware of the time that was passing in silence. They had a flight to catch to get back to work on time.

Minutes passed in silence. Finally Reno pulled out his cell phone and checked the town. It read: 8:45 AM.

"Arie, we have to get go…"

"I know." She stood up. "Reno?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can you do another favor for me?" There was an odd expression on her face, like a mix of pain and joy. And relief. And forgiveness.

Reno frowned. "Yeah, sure."

"Can you hug my sister like you might hug me? After all… for wrong purposes or not, she did want to be with you." She looked down. "Please. For me."

Reno was a little taken aback by such request, but obliged. He leaned over, scooped up the limp body in his strong arms and embraced her tightly.

Arien watched, her eyes brooding.

* * *

The two left Wutai and caught the flight back to The Edge. Arien was silent throughout the entire flight back, but Reno said nothing. Finally, when they were out of the plane and was walking the ramp back to the airport, he asked, "You okay, yo?" 

"No, but I will be." She shrugged as she flashed a Shinra card to the security monitor. Entering an airport armed could cause problems sometimes. "I can't exactly go sulk when I'm on an assignment, can I?"

"Okay, yo." Reno replied. Just then, the phone trilled out its tone shrilly amidst the silence. Everyone tensed.

"Whose phone was that?"

"That would be…" Reno fished out his cell phone from his pocket. "Mine." He flipped it open. "Reno speaking."

Tseng's voice was so loud that even Arien could hear it. "We have an emergency! Come to Healin this instant!" Tseng's voice was strained. "It's a personal assignment from Rufus. Get changed and come as soon as possible." Blip. The tone echoed hollowly in the speaker of the phone as the two hurried through the busy terminal.

"Sheesh, what a conversational dude, Tseng," Reno mouthed. "Almost wonder if he won Shinra's Most Obnoxious Man Award. Oh wait, there were whole bunch of more obnoxious people than Tseng." He looked at Arien. "Ya know, I'm amazed that I didn't commit any murder within the HQ when it was there."

"You haven't?" She looked at him in surprise. "Wow."

"You have?"

"Not by my choice. It was a rather delicate matter," she said loftily. "Come on. Let's not be late."

"Sure, whatever, Chickie." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, stuck one in his mouth, and lit it. He then absently stuck out the hand grasping the pack in front of the woman. "Want one?"

"Another cleaning? Dude, Tseng, we ain't cleaning ladies!"

Tseng shrugged at his rebellious subordinate. "We're all going this time. It's a little tricky."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

Elena and Rude were sitting on chairs; Arien and Reno were sopping wet. They drove here, but the rain was beating down hard outside and by the time they came in they were soaked. Now Arien was leaning on the wall, one leg crossed over another, arms crossed, scowling. Reno was standing right in front of Tseng, looking annoyed.

"Why the fuck do we have to 'clean out'?" Reno demanded. "Rude, Arie and me just went out for a session few days ago! Hell, Rude got hurt, yo!"

Tseng noted his incorrect grammar, but then, it was wrong of anyone to expect any regard for proper language in Reno.

"Rufus' orders."

"Hell, Rufus can go shove it up his ass," Reno countered. Everyone winced. "I ain't goin'."

"You are. End of discussion." Tseng snapped. "Get ready in five minutes."

They filed out, Reno grumbling. "Rufus and Tseng. They probably suck on each other's balls. Who the fuck do they think they are? Fucking dipshit."

Elena opened the door to the weaponry. "Reno, can you tone down the language?" She asked politely, if strained. Rude snickered. Arien walked in after Elena and picked up a pistol lying on a table. Her hair was in strands matted on her face, moisture clumping each strand together. She shrugged her coat off and her jacket, then started to unbutton her shirt.

"Hey Rude," she called. "Toss me size three."

Rude tossed a clear vest toward her, and it landed by her foot. Bending over to pick it up, she shrugged off her white shirt as well. Sliding her head into the fiberglas mesh bulletproof vest, she started to secure the belts that shaped the vest to the shape of her body. Her white tank top was visible underneath.

"Reno, help," Arien said exasperatedly. The redheaded man, who was pulling off his shirt, wobbled over. "What?"

"Can you pull the straps?"

Arien was so skinny she was almost skin and bones; the size adjusted to her height was not her size, and thus she needed to pull on the straps very tightly to secure the vest. The straps were uncooperative, and it had fallen to the Second-in-Command to make sure that the vest was snug around her upper body. Of course, Reno did not object for one reason – he now had license to feel her up.

After making sure that it was snug (and touching her as a bonus), Reno patted her shoulder. "All done."

"Thanks," she muttered. Reno returned to his spot.

Elena looked around. Reno and Rude were topless, each struggling into the vests. She was in the corner changing. The two men created a stark contrast against each other, with Rude's muscular, dark frame and Reno's lanky, pale posture. The blonde woman noted interestedly that despite what she used to think, Reno's torso was lean and well-muscled. His arms, while it was slim, had a very defined muscular form. His collarbones were defined as well, and his abdomen had a definitive shape of a fighter.

He was not handsome, but he certainly was attractive, in an uncaring sort of manner. Very different from Tseng, but still good all the same. While Tseng was sedate, still, calm, he was wild, impetuous, and unpredictable. He emitted the aura of danger. Like a feline, a predator, looking around for a hunt. Graceful and lithe, he was everything that was defined as bad. And that appealed to the female part of Elena. Not the woman, but the female. She watched as he stretched like a cat.

Arien was moving around her arms, making sure that she could move with the fiberglas mesh. She was long-limbed, her slanted eyes darting with alert alacrity. Her legs, covered in the wool of her navy-blue slacks, were long. She was a Wutaian, which meant age came slow to her, along with wrinkles and white hair. For a moment, Elena envied her youthfulness – she was almost the same age as the young Wutaian but she already looked two years her senior.

"Hey, whatcha lookin' at, yo?" Reno asked as he pulled his shirt down. After the vest came the white shirt. On top of that came the holsters. And then the jacket. Arien was buttoning her shirt with one hand and was looking for clips with another.

"Uh…" how the hell was she supposed to reply? '_I was checking your abs to see if they had any muscles'_?

"You were checkin' me out. Switching from Tsengie-kins to me?" Reno grinned mischievously. "Hey, if Arie says it's okay, we can go threesome. Add Tseng and it'll be one fuck you'll never forget."

"Reno, enough," Arien snapped from the corner of the room. She was pulling on her jacket. "Most likely you're going to lose both of us to Tseng."

"Ouch. Touché."

"All ready?" Rude asked gruffly.

"Wait." Arien was adjusting the clips on her thigh. "Okay."

"Alright." Reno opened the door. "Fucking rain."

Tseng was waiting outside, looking prim and proper. Reno rolled his eyes. "I'm going to lose you to that prude?" He hissed.

"Shush, he's looking at us," she replied.

"But…"

"Reno," she toned exasperatedly. "You aren't going to lose me to anyone. Can we please focus on the current mission? I'd rather see the sunlight tomorrow."

Reno grinned. Arien was still Arien, sarcastic and focused. "Sure," he said.

The difficulty was simple; the scientist had to be brought back alive and unhurt. That was definitely not Rude or Reno's expertise. Especially Reno's. His motto was kill and get done with.

The five separated at the fork, Rude and Tseng going one way, Reno, Arien and Elena going the other. They made sure that their phones were on silent. The last thing they needed was their phones going off and alerting everyone within the five mile radius that they were here.

"Holler when you guys are in trouble," Reno grinned. "Though I might be busy with these two ladies."

Elena kicked him.

"Be serious, Reno."

"I am!" he defended, sounding offended. Rude and Arien were already starting on their tracks.

"See ya."

They jogged through the streets, the suits making a weird contrast to the more casual attires that the people around them wore. Elena secretly wondered why they always went to a deserted, secluded place. It was lonely, and it was dirty. Her mind wandered to the couple running beside her, their breaths compliments of each other. Dark hair flashed beside the red, and legs pumped.

They jogged for couple of corners then turned to the third fork, and then to the right. Suddenly, Reno stopped. "Okay, I'm getting a little tired…"

Bang!

"Ambush!" Arien screamed as she whipped out her gunblade and shot twice in rapid succession. It did not fell anyone, but it diverted the attention. Reno dived into the shadows of a building, and Elena scrambled behind a car. She saw through a shattered window that Arien was sprinting, then rolled and disappeared.

Arien was breathing hard, then controlled her breathing. That shot was very poorly aimed. Hiding behind a deserted brick building and kneeling on one knee and another propping her body up, she bent her elbow so that her gunblade pointed up, beside her face. Her hair was still wet, and it clung onto her cheek. Her other hand supported her body from falling.

She heard footsteps, coming closer to her. Coming at her. She had to watch her timing. She would have no second chance.

Another step, then another. Then another. Then…

Now! The three Turks sprinted from their places. Reno swung his EMR as he turned, swatting the man's head aside with a swift drop-hand hit. Elena shot at another, while Arien shot double-handed with two gunblades. Reno pulled out an Uzi and shot all around, while the two women ducked out of the way.

There were a few men still standing, and Reno spun out of the way as bullets rained on him. Arien felt something tug on her ankles for a fleeting second, and then was sprawling on the floor – someone had lashed chains around her foot, and was now tugging. She pulled the trigger at the person as she was getting pulled away. The bullet hit home, and the chain became lax. She wriggled out of it. She was acutely aware of dull thuds and shots ringing through the air.

Blood racing, the three looked at each other. Bodies were littering around them.

None were standing. Reno rolled over one of the bodies with his foot, then raised his eyebrow. Elena leaned over to see what surprised him.

The dead man's chest had black stains, just like Rufus' hand.


	6. 5: Out of Hand

RaspberryPolarBear - Eek. My computer is trying to kill itself, I guess. Sorry about that. Yes, geostigma will be playing a big role in their lives, as it probably played in everyone's life at this time. Minus maybe Reno. Maybe. Maybe not. We shall see. Don't worry there won't be deaths.

Darkus - aww, thanks! I try my hardest. I had to think a lot about Arien's character, because I didn't like the stereotypes. And Reno's character as well... that was probably the hardest part. It was very hard for me to make a female without it being a Sue.

Princess-Starr - hehe, I'll continue this story just for you... and few other people who read this (AKA RaspberryPolarBear and Rah, I think). I do want to finish this story at least, because I have the storyline plotted out.

* * *

Chapter V: Out of Hand

"This is getting out of hand," Elena said.

"No shit," the redhead replied. "This… disease is getting everywhere."

The three stared at the corpse vacantly. The black pus was oozing, and it looked horridly dark and sticky, reflecting the vague light from above in a sickly sheen. "I wonder if it's contagious." The blonde woman said absently.

The two shrugged. "Beats me, I ain't no doctor," Reno said. "But I wouldn't risk sleeping with that guy. Who knows, it might be."

The three resumed staring. In each Turk's mind, the same question raced: was it contagious? Were they already afflicted with it? Was there any cure? Was being with Rufus putting them to a risk?

None of them wanted to die. It was rather hypocritical, Arien mused grimly. They took lives readily, without question, without any remorse, but they definitely did not want to die. That much was certain.

How many of those she killed had felt the same way?

_Stop with this guilt trip,_ her conscience ordered stiffly. _No point trying to guilt over what's done. You can't cry over spilled mako._

She shook her head as she holstered the gunblade. Reno was trying to get her attention, but for some reason, her mind wandered, refusing to come back. She was having difficulty focusing; the heavy cat called guilt was still refusing to budge from its warm, cozy nook.

"Earth to Arie. Attention here, yo." Reno's voice exploded in her left ear. "We're getting out of here. You might wanna catch this disease, but I sure as hell don't."

Arien had seen the effects of this unknown malady. Rufus had spasms of it occasionally, and he uncharacteristically thrashed and screamed in pain that seemed almost too intense to be real. She had sat through many of them, all of them ending with Rufus losing his consciousness. That was not the way she wanted to lead her life. The blackness of the disease, its apparent pains, its ugliness all caused a sour taste in her mouth, a clenching in her throat, her hands to sweat and her legs to go weak. She had never been seriously ill before; she fervently hoped that this would not be her first encounter with a "serious illness". A disease that looked ugly, was painful, and had no cure yet? No thanks.

"Hey! Arien!" Reno was calling. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming," she found herself saying. She silently bid farewell to the dead, turned on her heels, and left, following her mates.

* * *

Reno was worried, for the first time in his life. Well, not exactly. He had been worried before, but it was all for his own sake. He worried about girls turning up at his door, announcing pregnancies caused by him. He worried over his life. He worried over his money. He even worried over what to eat – sometimes. 

But worrying over someone else? Never.

Ever since returning from Wutai, the young assassin seemed to be out of it. Her mind seemed to be drifting away, unhindered, and no matter what he did, she refused to come back. Dealing with an unknown man's death was one thing, but dealing with a family death was quite another. And in this case, it was her sister. Her twin. Her counterpart, inseparable no matter how much strife there was between them.

Arien was having a guilt trip, he knew that well enough. He hadn't lived with her for over a year and half and counting, without learning a few things about this mysterious enigma that was named Arien DeVir. But he couldn't help her there. He never had a guilt trip in his life. He never saw any wrong in carrying out his missions. He was just doing what he was ordered to do, nothing more. It earned him bread for the day. He never saw any wrong when he was in a gang in Midgar Slums, or did it cause him any guilt now. Besides, Luca was still alive and kicking. To feel a part of you wither and die while you were still flourishing was quite beyond him.

Still, he was worried. Inattentiveness could prove to be fatal with their career. And she was really spacing out, no doubt there. Guilt trips were fine and dandy, but he had made no plans for a funeral anytime soon. No way. Not after he had spent so much time, patience (which he lacked more severely than others), and energy, not to mention money. Nuh uh.

Pulling out a pack of cigarettes (he was getting as bad as Cid Highwind these days), he flicked the cheap lighter and lit the cigarette. The leaves burned, leaving a slight odor, and the nicotine he craved came through his mouth, sending him into a sense of a slight euphoria. Elena coughed and waved the smoke away with her manicured hand; Arien would have done the same, or she would have tried to stop him from taking another drag of it, but she did nothing. She just walked. Limply, like a marionette. Her hands jammed into the pockets of her slacks insolently (something that she never did, saying that it ruined the lines of the stitches), almost in the same manner as he did, her trench coat open and swishing, he suddenly realized that maybe they weren't so different after all.

But then, maybe they were.

* * *

The car ride back was silent as it could be. Nobody talked, not even Elena, who was usually a chatterbox. The redhead asked Tseng if the two could be dropped off at their house; seeing Arien's mute depression and Reno's "if you say no, you won't be saying another word" stance, Tseng agreed. Believe it or not, even the Turk leader held Reno in a grudging respect. He was usually obedient when it came to the basis, and he was usually in complete control, but Tseng had seen Reno lose it. And it was not a pleasant sight. 

In her inattentiveness, Reno had to remind her that they were in front of their house. She jerked, almost like she was awakened from a dream, then shook her head a few times. "Oh, um…" she muttered under her breath. "Thanks."

By Shiva, she really was out of it. He watched as she mechanically stepped out of the car, then promptly stumble. This was not like her at all. She was usually attentive, lithe, even with a casual grace at times. Maybe this Reniel disaster wasn't the reason. Maybe there was something else.

Well, he could think of one. And according to his mental "Book of Weird Behaviors on Species with XX Chromosomes", this seemed to have a high possibility. Actually, almost 100 percent. Throw in the factor that they weren't exactly prudish either. Well, at least he wasn't.

He waited until he opened the door, allowed Arien to step inside the house, throw her jacket off, toss the keys, and throw herself onto the sofa with much abandon. Then, he sat down next to her and said, "Arie, I gotta ask a question."

"…Yes?" She replied blandly, wiggling to get the holster off. All of a sudden she seemed to be dedicating all her attention to getting out of the leather straps. She pulled off the leather band around her shoulder, then the other, then finally tossed the gunblade and the holster on the floor. Then she sunk down, head resting on the back of the sofa, legs crossed and arms spread, eyes closed.

"Are you pregnant, yo? Because if that's the case, I'm not gonna force ya to abort it or anythi…"

"What?" She was attentive now. She sat up, her eyes wide open. "What did you just say?"

"Are you pregnant?"

"Not that I know of." She thought for a moment. "Nope. Don't think so."

"Huh." He was a little disappointed… he was mostly dreading and a little expecting a little clone of himself running around in a few years. (You see, Reno is not a simple being after all.) Never did he know that the very prospect of little Renaldo running around was scaring Arien out of her wits. One Reno was causing enough chaos. Two was just… inconsiderable.

"Why were you spaced out, then?"

"I don't know." A shrug. "It's just that… a lot of things are coming back to me all of a sudden, now that we're back to our normal routine."

"Huh," he said dumbly. "You okay, though?"

"I should be fine," she replied. "Just… give me some time. Okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

Arien stood up, and walked to the kitchen. "So. What do you want for dinner?" she asked.

* * *

There wasn't much else to do, after the clean-up. The Turks spent their days lazily, doing nothing productive. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months; it was repose after a long battle, and they felt they deserved it. 

Rufus gave them leave; having the rowdy group around was not a very smart idea for a person who was trying to rest. Elena had a soprano, Reno was just plain loud, and Arien tended to have fights with the redhead. And so, Rufus ordered the three of them – Rude and Tseng were quiet, they could stay – to Costa del Sol. It was close enough, but far away.

They idly stayed in the Shinra villa, still kept by the Shinra Company after the chaos that ensued in Midgar. The sun was still shining in the seaside town, unlike Healin or The Edge, which some deity seemed to have decided to withdraw the sunlight for some unknown punishment.

Reno and Elena were out that day together, doing god knew what. Arien was bored; falling out of the bed, she crawled up, rubbed her sleepy eyes. Strands of black hair were stuck to her sweaty skin, and for a moment she wondered why she was sweating so much. Then she remembered that despite her fears, Reno was encouraging procreation the night before. Which she fended off with a pillow, which ended up in a pillow fight and angry shouts.

Scowling, she picked up beige Capri's and stepped into them. Cell phone slid into the left hand pocket – she was a right-handed person, and she could not defend herself with the left hand. She could make calls with her left. A leather belt needed another hole – with all the heat she was dramatically losing appetite. Pulling on a turquoise shirt, she brushed her hair and tied it in a ponytail, removing strands out of her face and into the elastic. Sunscreen was amply smeared on the exposed skin; she slid her pedicured feet into matching heeled sandals, then slid a pistol between her belt and the cloth of the Capri's. Tying around a jacket around her waist, she concealed her weapon, then stepped out after adjusting a pair of sunglasses on her nose.

The brilliant sun hit her mako-enhanced eyes, and she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sun. The sunglasses helped, but not much, and for a moment she could not see anything. Deciding which way to go, she turned her body to the left and started to walk.

Girls in bikinis were running around, giggling and laughing. She smiled vaguely, remembering that she could have been one of those girls. Instead, one would have seen a woman with a serious face and way too much guilt in her eyes. Her espadrille heels were soft on the sandy paved avenues, making grating sounds as the plastic of the heels grinded the sand into finer white powder. Despite the winter, the harsh weather, and the Meteor fall, Costa del Sol was still the sunny coast that she knew.

She turned right, and saw the familiar redhead and the blonde head coming towards her. Upon further inspection, they seemed to be very cozy with each other, laughing together and being disturbingly close to each other. Well, they knew each other before Arien knew them; but then, what was this sharp pain that went behind her eyes? She hated herself for being jealous, and she also hated herself for being angry at Reno. She knew that he would do as he pleased, regardless of his relationship status. But still! She turned and ducked into a shady alley, flattening herself to the wall.

Which turned out to be a ghastly mistake.

Another sharp pain lanced through her left wrist, but this one was real. She felt her skin puncture, a slow drop of blood fall onto the shaded ground. She looked down, removing her sunglasses, and some sort of a hook had gone through. She looked around, and saw a string tied to the hook traipse around the corner of the building. Hmm.

Then she felt a tug, and her thoughts exploded as her mind registered sharp pain. Biting her lower lip to prevent screaming – it was extremely painful – she pulled out her pistol and adjusted the silencer on, then shot at the string. The string was severed.

The pain was still there, but she knew she could not stay. Moving to the other side, she slowly began to move, then burst into a run. If a woman burst out with a hook in her wrist, then things would look suspicious, so she could not go back; besides her colleagues would be there. She thought for a moment about phoning her partner, then shook her head. Most likely Reno would have turned his phone off.

She ran around the corner of the building, away from the hook's origin, then around again. After making sure that there were no assailants around, she slid down the wall, sitting down. The pain was intensified by the run and the rush of adrenaline; blood flowed copiously, painting her hand bright crimson. She held her pistol for a moment, nozzle pointing to the sky, then lowered it and placed it in her lap. Time to remove the metal.

She touched the hook slightly, and even that sent pain shooting through her nerves. Biting her lip to prevent herself from screaming, she painstakingly dug into her own flesh with her fingers, pulling onto the hook. She was getting nauseous from the pain; she felt vomit creep up into her throat, threatening to come into her mouth. Her vision was being dotted with black spots, and she stopped for a second to clear her vision.

"Aaarrrgh," she breathed as the bloody hook came out. Her hand throbbed, and now both her hands were painted in red. Standing up, she returned her pistol to her belt after locking on safety, then wore her jacket, thankful for her foresight. She would have to clean the wound in the villa. Sticking her arm in the salt water – which was abundant in the beach – nearly made her pass out. It was already painful enough.

It was only after being in the sun, away from the shadows, and being in general safety that it dawned on her. Something crucial. Something terribly important. She wondered how she missed it in the first place, when she first felt the hook rip through her wrist.

There were enemies here. And they wanted the Turks out of the picture.

* * *

Reno was in the room, sitting on the bed and a phone by his sly face when Arien opened the door. When he saw her, he shut the phone, threw it onto the bed, then screamed, "Where the hell were you! I looked everywhere!" 

Without a word, she opened the bathroom door, and had the sink running. The water was ice cold, thanks to Rufus' wealth, and she washed her hands under the cold water. Blood was encrusted in her nails, and she frowned as she thought that she would have to take out her nailbrush and brush the dark brown specs away. It would be a long, arduous task.

"Arien! Answer me, damn it!" Reno was still yelling. "For fuck's sake, stop being such a stubborn bitch! That's why you lose everyone!"

Ouch. Tears flooded her eyes, and she did not know whether it was because of Reno's harsh words or the pain in the wrist. She had gone through some severe injuries, but for some reason this one seemed to be ranking the top three in pain. Taking out some bandages from the first aid kit on the shelf above the sink, she stopped the water and turned off the light, then carried the box in one hand into the room. Reno was furious. His face was livid with anger, and his eyes were burning. Dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked dearer to her than anything else she had ever seen. Even her life. And then his words hit her again, like a harsh club.

_That's why you lose everyone._ Was she going to lose him as well? Or did that already happen?

She sat down in a chair and stared dumbly as the red in her sleeve spread slowly. Her vision blurred again and her hand shook as she rolled her sleeves to bandage her wound. The roll of white cloth tumbled out of her hand and painted a white line on the wooden floor. She did not know where she was, she was losing herself, and the pain in her left wrist was still there. Suddenly, without warning, voice escaped her mouth – a choked voice, filled with pain.

Reno was still yelling, and then he stopped. He saw the woman's face pale and bloodless, and an ugly gaping hole in the left wrist. Her lips had a bluish tinge, and the sleeve of the grey jacket was dyed scarlet. With blood. Her blood.

"Oh shit…" he caught her as she fell out of the chair. She felt lighter than before, and she had a gaunt, haunted look about her face as he carried her to the bed and lay her down. The hole still bled profusely, and he panicked for a second as he looked around for the bandage.

Picking it up, he wrapped it around her wrist as gently as she could. Her breathing was shallow; after turning her head, he pulled out the elastic from her hair. Her hair spread like thousand dark strands in water. He threw off her shoes after some struggle with the straps, then sat on the bed beside her. He remembered her for the past few weeks – jumpy, frightened, tense. Why didn't he catch the warning before?

"Arie, you fucking idiot," he whispered. "You fucking, goddamn idiot."

She made no reply. He kissed her, and felt her shallow breathing, but nothing more.

He was losing her, like sand in his outstretched hand.


	7. 6: The Hook

ADVENT CHILDREN IS OUT!

Hey. A little late update, but sorry, I'm cramming Physics and Chemistry and Calculus and it's killing my brain cells.

There's some rip-off in this chapter from another work - it's anime, and it's called _Jojo's Bizzarre Adventures_. But it won't interfere with the canon of this story, I think.

Raspberry Polar Bear - LOL, I kinda liked that idiom myself. Thankee thankee. Geostigma is a gruesome disease, but I didn't make it ugly, I hope. Don't worry, Arien won't die. I'm planning a sequel for this, how can the main character die?

Amigirl - yey, another reader! Arien has tough time coming. Honestly, I'm glad I'm not her... and yes, I wrote her, so I guess I'm evil. I honestly love making my characters suffer to a certain point... it's so fun to watch them wallow in misery. (evil cackle)

toyBOX - Your name reminds me of Mystery Case Files: Huntsville. I loved that game. Anyways, I'll be dropping off hints and such for the next scene, but not too much... hope you enjoy the story. I've decided this is going to be a quartet, with Reno's beginning, _C'Est La Vie_, _The Footsteps of Life, _and a sequel to this.

_

* * *

_

Chapter VI: The Hook

_Pain…_

She had known it all her life. Not physical pain, not necessarily, but a pain in the heart, pain of her soul, then yes. Then she came to know true physical pain as well.

_Ouch_.

She floated, wandering, aimlessly, through the dark hazy air. The air was like a clear jelly, viscous and warm, wrapping around her like a hand of a tender lover – like Reno's hand, she thought. His hand could be lethal, harsh, and gentle. It was all the same hand, but it functioned differently for different people. She knew his touch, the slender, well-formed fingers entwined in her hair, the fingertips on her mouth, on her arm.

She continued wandering, and thought she saw a flash of gold in the darkness. But upon further observation, it seemed to be just a trick of the eye; nothing was there. Then she heard Reno calling to her, calling her name, hopelessly, in despair; and she wanted to reach out, to tell him that there was nothing wrong, that she was there. But somehow, no matter what she did, the voice kept floating away from her; and in the midst of her bitterness she reached out again, her fingertips extended, and touched something soft and supple. And then it crumbled on her fingertips into nothing more than fine grey dust.

"No...!" she cried out, flailing. Then a hand jerked her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Reno was next to her, topless, his hair carelessly on his face. His hand was around her shoulder; she was topless as well. His hand was gentle on her skin, and it moved slightly down. She felt herself breathing. "Reno…"

"You're awake." He kissed her forehead. "How you feelin?"

"My wrist is… numb." She gestured with her right hand. "But otherwise I'm okay." Then a memory came back, and she jerked herself away from his touch. That morning, Elena and Reno. Walking together. A sudden, cold detachment rose in her mind.

"What, yo?" he asked. "Come on, Arie, don't keep secrets. I don't."

"Really?" her voice was dripping with sarcasm. He looked at her, surprised.

"I keep a few, like where I keep my stash of smokes, but otherwise no. Why? Did ya think so, yo?"

An eyebrow shot up to the hairline. "What about you and Elena this morning, then? Care to explain?"

Arrow was shot, dripping in venom. Arien was jealous, and Reno was surprised. She seemed to be… above those things. Apparently not. "We were having fun."

"Fun? Or something more?"

"Holy, Arien! What are you thinking?"

"I'm not thinking. I just know you more than I'd care to." Another sarcasm. She turned away, and he gently pulled her back.

"Look, you can be as skeptic as you want, yo," he said earnestly. "But there's nothing between me and Elena. Honest."

Another twitch in her eyebrow. "Truly?"

"Truly."

"Fine…" her raven hair mingled with his red, and the light cast from the nighttable burned them into the color of the flame. Neither of them noticed, as they sought each other in each other's arms.

"Oh Holy, Arien, oh God…" He breathed on her. A sudden grin came on his face. Maybe he wasn't losing her as he thought. Maybe she was still there, waiting for him with open, eager arms.

* * *

"She was lanced, Bucciarati." 

The team leader turned to see the informer. It was a young boy, barely sixteen, with a bandanna around his black hair. He was short, wiry, and had the agile reflexes of a sixteen year old. "My Aerosmith saw it. She was lanced."

"Did she survive, Narancia?" The twenty-four year old team leader, a member of the gang _Passione _execs asked. The boy nodded.

"She's staying in the villa, with a man and a woman. The man… you can't miss it, Bucciarati. He has red hair."

"Hunh." Pause. Then: "Does she know what her wound will mean?"

The boy named Narancia shrugged. "I don't know, Bucciarati."

The leader remained silent, his chin-length hair blown by the breeze. Their hideout faced the sea on one side, looking upon the merry happenings of the seaside. Narancia sat down, crossing his legs and toying with the orange cloth wrapped around his hips.

"Either way, she will seek us out," Bucciarati whispered. "But she will need a lead."

Narancia did not reply; he continued toying with the cloth. Bucciarati looked down upon the boy and said, "Get Abbacchio, Fugo and Giorno in here. I need to talk to them."

The boy nodded and walked out. Bucciarati continued gazing upon the sea.

"DeVir… Arien DeVir…"

* * *

The three men – two barely out of boyhood – came in minutes after Narancia walked out, along with Narancia himself. The team leader looked around and said, "You need to do something for me. You too, Narancia." 

"Sure. What?" Abbaccio asked. He was a slender man in his mid-twenties, the eldest of the group. Pensive and dedicated, he was the most reliable, and was most relied on as the elder brother and a mentor. His silver hair was shoulder length, and his mouth was blood-red. He was always serious, always mission first.

"I need you to track someone down. Her name is DeVir. She was lanced few days ago."

"Why bother tracking her, then?" Fugo spoke up. He was a little younger than Bucciarati and Abbacchio, with spiked pale blond hair. "She'll come to us anyways, Bucciarati. To _Passione_."

"She'll have no idea where we are going to be; besides, she took the arrow with her. We need that back."

Giorno, often called by his friends as Jojo, was silent. He was a straightforward youth, barely out of his teens; his blue eyes were honest, and his hair was in a single braid down his back. His blond hair shone in the sunlight like molten gold. Then he asked, "Who is she?"

"There is no information right now," Bucciarati responded. "She's at the Shinra Villa with two others. "She's the only brunette there – easy to spot."

"What do we do after we find her?" Giorno asked again.

"Contact her, get the arrow back, without alerting them of the arrow's importance; she might be hostile, but with Fugo's _Purple Haze_ that won't be a problem."

"What does she look like?" Giorno asked. Bucciarati threw a photograph of a woman, a profile shot – raven hair tossed in the wind, eyes looking toward the distance, mouth slightly open. Her head was turned towards the lens, an expression of wry humor on her face. Her hands were in her pockets, and a pair of sunglasses was perched on her head. She was a Wutaian; her eyes were slanted in the particular way Wutaians' did. She was standing next to a slender man with flaming red hair and a sly grin on his face. His eyes were mischievous aquamarine, nose smallish and thin lips that curved into a lopsided grin.

"That's her," Bucciarati said.

To the natives of Costa del Sol – _Passione_'s headquarters were in The Edge, but this particular group was from Costa – the novelty of a Wutaian was fresh to them. She was not beautiful, but she looked mysterious and exotic enough to tickle the three's minds. Bucciarati watched them in amusement as colors changed on the three's faces. Especially Fugo; he was usually cool and composed, even detached, but this change upon his face was amazing. He flushed slightly, and his pupils dilated.

"Cut it out," he said finally. "This is an assignment, not an excursion."

* * *

Elena was out swimming. Reno and Arien were walking the beach, wordless but taking comfort in each other's presences. The sun was setting, casting long shadows on the golden sand, turning the gold into brilliant orange. 

Arien had recovered her health fairly quickly, and when she woke up from her deep sleep again she was well enough to walk around. Her wrist was still bandaged, but the blood had stopped and the pain was slowly fading away.

She was in a jovial mood. She was regaining herself; under the blue sky of Costa del Sol, she was slowly refocusing on her life. It wasn't over. Sure, what she did was wrong, it was terribly wrong; every man she had killed, and every tear she had caused would be stained on her forever. Reniel's woeful life would be on her for the rest of her life; she had condemned her twin to a mental prison. But she couldn't hang onto that forever; she needed to bear the weight and move forward. She could not go back. She needed to go on, dragging the guilt behind her.

She absently touched her wrist; the hole was mending slowly, and the pain was gone, but she still remembered the acute agony she was going through only a day ago. The couple's bare feet imprinted footprints in the sand, only to be washed away by the waves. Water sprayed on their clothes in white specks; mud crusted their toes.

"It was like this at the camp," she said absently. Reno focused on her.

"What?"

"At Wutai, at the camp. God, that was so long ago." She shook her head. "So much has changed since then."

"We haven't."

"Haven't we?" she asked back. Reno picked a dry spot, sat down, and urged his girlfriend to do the same. "We've changed, Reno; you've changed, and so have I. We aren't what we used to be."

"Feeling melancholy, eh?" He picked up a shell and tossed it into the blue wave. Arien nodded.

"A little. So much has been lost, you know? Somehow I thought we'd continue the life as the execs of Shinra forever… but that didn't happen." She picked up a small pebble and squeezed it in her hand. It was warm from the sun, and smooth. "It's just that… so much has changed."

"That much is true," Reno replied dryly. "But some things haven't changed."

"Like what?"

"Like this." He picked up a handful of sand and threw it in her hair. She yelped, then stood up as soon as Reno dashed away. "Reno!"

"You asked, yo!" he protested, laughing. "It ain't my…"

A hint of gold flashed before her eyes, then metallic spectra spread out before her. It was shaped like a robot, a humanoid shape; she dodged and rolled on the soft sand, then stood up again, dusting herself off. She counted three, and was about to turn and run when she saw Reno running back to her.

"Whatcha lookin' at, yo?" he asked. She looked at him curiously.

"Don't you see them?"

"See what? The bikini chicks? Yeah, I see them, but…" he looked at her, frowning. "What's so special about them? They're around everyday."

"No, those… I don't know, those robots…" she shook her hands in circles impatiently, unsure of the words. She honestly did not know how to describe them. Metallic and expressionless, they were both human and inhuman.

"I believe I can answer," said a male voice. The two Turks turned, surprised.

In front of them stood three men; two were quite young, another was about the same age as Reno. They looked quite peculiar, not dressed for the summer beach but rather for ease of movements. Two were quite distinctly blond; the other had silvery hair that was shoulder length. Instinctively the two Turks closed in on each other, each reaching for a weapon concealed about them. Three vs two was not such a good odd, but it still paid off to be prepared.

"We don't mean harm," the one who looked the youngest spoke up. "We just need to talk to the woman."

Arien raised her eyebrows, her hand on the trigger of her pistol, ready to shoot; it was concealed behind her back, but it was ready nonetheless. "About what?"

The three's glances all turned to her wrist. Her injured wrist. This was getting fishy. "Now wait a minute," she said, stepping back, "how do you know about my wr…"

She shut up. Everything made sense now. It also only took a nanosecond for the two to react. Immediately Reno launched a kick, while Arien brought up the pistol in a flash and pulled the trigger.

"You goddamn fucking bastards!" Reno yelled loudly as he brought up his EMR in defense as the blondie crashed a punch in. Arien shot at the other blondie, while tossing her other pistol to her partner.

"We don't… mean… harm!" The blondie (the younger one) shouted. Arien shot while sticking out her wrist.

"Yes? And I'm guessing this was a mistake."

"It was!" The other blond gasped as Reno launched another attack. Then from the corner of the eye Arien saw the older blond's metallic robot – if it was a robot – sneak behind Reno.

"Watch out!" She screamed, and Reno threw himself onto the floor just as the robot lunged. It sprayed something that was like a hazy mist, which fell on the sand and nearby shells. The shells dissolved slowly into a slime.

Arien watched in horror with the stark realization that the shell could have been… well, Reno. She stopped moving. "Alright," she said. "I'll… talk. And I'm guessing you want privacy."

"Arien, don't be an idiot!" Reno shouted, standing up and dusting himself off.

"I'm not." She looked at the three. "One of you has to stay here with my partner, to ensure my safety. I'm not going otherwise."

The older blond stepped up. "I'll stay."

"Fine." She waved vacantly. "If I'm not back within half an hour, Reno…"

"I'll make him into a fricassee." He grinned.

"Whatever you say."

The three – the younger blond, the silver-hair, and Arien, that is – walked a few yards. As soon as they were out of earshot, the silver-hair said, "We need the arrow back."

"First of all, who is 'we'? Second of all, what arrow?" Arien stood feet apart and hands on her hips. "I've never seen you before."

"Sorry," the younger blond apologized sincerely. "But we can't tell you who we are."

Secretive, huh. "I understand," she nodded. "What arrow?"

"The thing that did that to your wrist."

Arien realized that they were talking about the hook that pierced her wrist. She had put it by the bed, unable to throw it away for some reason, the previous night. And now they wanted it back. They wanted it back, which meant it was important. For what? She had to find out. She had a vague voice saying in her head, "Curiosity killed a cactuar", but keeping her mouth shut meant no information at all. "Obviously it's important," she said carefully, "and I went through a lot of pain getting it. I don't plan to hand it back so readily."

"We need it back," the younger blond said. Arien raised her eyebrow.

"I think we've already established that, gentlemen. What I'm discussing is the price for that confounded hook. It nearly took my hand off." She gestured at her bandaged wrist. "You can have it back – for a price."

"Name it," the silver-hair said quietly. Arien was taken back. She was ready for some haggling, not this immediate barter. "Tell me the name of the group you're in, why that stupid hook made me sick that bad, and what that hook does."

The two looked at each other. "We're from _Passione_," the silver-hair said finally. "That arrow transmits a virus that is fatal most of the time through fluid– if it doesn't kill you, it does something to you."

"Do what to me?" she asked waspishly.

"It's very hard to say," the man replied. "But you'll know…" he looked at her, how she was still having a pistol in her hand, her dubious expression, and her ready-to-attack stance. And her clothes, which were not inexpensive. "You're a Turk, aren't you?"

"No," she lied. Saying anything else was a complete giveaway. "I'm from the Midgar Intelligence – or used to be." Shrug. "I can't get the hook right now, it's in my bedroom. But if you three – including your blond friend over there – would escort the two of us back, I can get it and give it back to you."

"Fine," the silver-hair said tersely.

The walk back was quiet – the youngest was somehow picked to escort the two back, and were trailing behind the Turks. The other two – the silver-hair and the older blondie – had left after a quick call on the cell phone. "Who the hell are they?" Reno asked. "And what the hell do they want?"

"They're from this group called _Passione_, I don't think they're environmentalist group." Arien grinned. "They want the hook back, because apparently it's more important than life to them. That's all I got."

"Huh, sounds fishy, yo." Reno frowned. "If it's that important, why the hell did they lose it?"

"I don't know, maybe they had someone like you…" she kissed him on the cheek as he started to fume. "I'm joking. I think they meant it for someone else – for whom, I don't know. But I'm pretty positive it wasn't me."

They climbed up the steps to the door. The blond stopped at the threshold; the Turks entered the villa without much concern.

Reno walked into the kitchen, while Arien turned to the right and into their bedroom. The hook was there, gleaming coldly, blood gone and clean. She picked it up, feeling its weight in her hand, then walked back to the door.

"Here," she said, handing the thing to the blondie. The man – or boy? Just like Reno, it was hard to tell – stood there quietly, staring at her. She stared back, her eyes boring into his.

"What is your name?" she whispered, a soft sound in the ocean breeze. The blond opened his mouth.

"Giorno Jiovanna," he said haltingly.

"I see…" she grasped the doorknob. "Goodbye," she said as she closed the door.

* * *

Yes, I know, there's some explanation due. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't think up of a gang in a hurry, and I decided that this will do. Passione is a gang group from The Edge (not really, I made some modifications to fit the story). It's divided into little groups, and there's the big boss who will not make an appearance. Bucciarati is the leader of a small group. The dudes from _Passione_ are _Stand-users_ (you'll meet them in this chapter)stands are super-powers made 3D, to put it simply. You don't have to memorize them or remember them to understand the story, because they don't play a big role. Here are the list of the members and their stands: 

Bucciarati - leader. His stand is called _Sticky Fingers_. It creates zippers practically everywhere.  
Mista - Stand: _Sex Pistols_. Sentient bullets of the pistol. (Does not make appearance yet)  
Fugo - The older blondie. Stand: _Purple Haze_. Releases virus that melts organisms.  
Giorno - The younger blondie. Stand: _Gold Experience_. Gives life. (think of healing potions)  
Abbacchio - The silver-hair. Stand: _Moody Blues_. Replays the past.  
Narancia - The kid who told the leader that Arien was lanced. Stand: _Aerosmith_. A small aeroplane that detects CO2 and shoots bullets like a regular attacker aircraft.


	8. 7: A Year After

Hello hello! I hate AP Chemistry. And AP Physics. This chapter is... not unified, but it's a semi-important chapter. So please, bear with me.

RaspberryPolarBear - can I marry you? lol. You've been reviewing so faithfully and steadfastly that I'm nearly in tears of joy. :-P I'm v. v. glad that you're still interested... because another fic is hatching and this one revolves around Sephiroth, and as soon as I'm done with this series I'm going start on that one. That doesn't mean I'm bored, but I just wanted to say I'm glad you're still interested.

toyBOX - Yes, that's it, no more. I was going to write a story about how Reno's middle-aged and old and everything, then realized that for the love of God I couldn't imagine him with white hair. So I abandoned that idea. I got Advent Children, but I already downloaded the movie before the DVD came out... yey Reno. I wanna be the kid, you know, who sticks his/her hand up his nose. Then I can brag to people that I stuck my finger up his nose. haha.

Princess-Starr - Haha, thanks. There will be some sex scenes later, I promise! Not too explicit though, because I don't want to look like an idiot. (well, not more than now, at least.) It's around this time that the second _Seventh Heaven_ is opening, so I might add that place too... dunno, couple of thoughts still in the air. I'm really waiting for Square to announce that they're re-doing FFVII on PS3, because I want to see Reno in full graphics...

ODST girl058 - YEY, you're back! I'm so happy! Some people left, and I was very sad, so I'm glad you're back. I know, school's ending and we're all busy. But you still came back! (does a happy jig). If I could, I'll rain you with all the boys from FFVII, but as they aren't mine, I guess I can't... darn it.

invsasuke - I'm glad you liked it. Some of it might not make sense... this is a sequel and some of it is based on my previous fiction. But this one will be more... uh, dynamic, I guess, is the word. Dunno. I'm not the reader of this fic so I don't know, but I'm having fun writing it, and compared to other fictions I'm not having a lot of writer's block, so that's good. And there'll be surprises, twists, and turns, but I try to keep it to canon.

Please review (begs on knees)! I'm not asking for a novel, a simple sentence is more than enough. It's the reviews that make me think, "oh, people are reading this, I should keep writing this one".

* * *

Chapter VII: A Year After 

The Turks returned to the Edge not long after; news had reached Rufus in mysterious ways, and Tseng had called ordering them to come back. In the end, none of them regretted leaving. Costa del Sol was a happy place, but it was a holiday location, not somewhere to live. Even for Reno, who was originally from Costa del Sol, and did not attract as much attention as Arien. Elena, who had forgotten her sunscreen on one particular afternoon, was getting tired of being called "Skunk" by a certain redhead. So all in all, the three were glad when they boarded the chopper heading back to The Edge.

Getting back to the routine was simple – all the patrols, the task of watching Rufus, excursions, clean-ups came back to them naturally, without any hindrance. The Edge was getting rebuilt, not to the glamour of the metropolis called Midgar, but it was a functional city with living people.

Time flew – a month passed, with their days being dedicated to the regular mishaps that Turks went through. They lost track of time, concentrating on everyday lives, the survival, the reconstruction of Shinra Company. None of them – including the stoic Rufus himself – denied the fact that when Shinra fell, a part of them fell as well. Not only was Shinra their protection, but it was also part of their identity, their pride. It was odd – none of them (the Turks, that is) felt quite dedicated to the company when it existed. Their focus was more concentrating on who to kill, and how to fend off Scarlet (for males), not get grossed out by Palmer, and beat off Heidegger when he tried to meddle. Even though they were Rufus' secret right hand, they hardly saw him. And now, with the Shinra glory gone, they saw him everyday, and was constantly reminded of how much the company meant for them. After all, risking your life constantly for something did make that thing mean much to you.

Nearly eight months had passed since The Meteor fiasco; the memory, which was painfully throbbing at first, was starting to fade away, dissipate into the day. The old scars were getting healed – Midgar was a thing of the past. People were talking of the future, not the loss.

The Turks turned deaf ears to them. For them, the future never existed. What was the point, when you very well may die that day? They had learned to focus on the current, not the future. Tomorrow was not there.

Arien and Reno, in particular, were not very thoughtful when it came to the future. Arien was foresighted in the sense that she liked to have back-up plans, savings, things one could lean on when something went wrong. But neither of them was very considerate when it came to making future plans. Their return to The Edge was unplanned, and they dealt with it. And now, they were sitting; well, Arien was lounging on the bed in a white Indian linen shirt and white capris, Reno was sitting on the bed. Usually the role was reversed, and Reno took the note of it with a mild interest.

"Hey, Reno?"

Reno woke up from his reverie – the shining sun, the beaches, the lazy afternoons sharing each other's warmth in the bed… it was the past now. He knew how not to cling onto the past. Like making plans for the future, it was a silly thing to do.

"Hmm? What, yo?"

Arien looked serious. But then, she always did. She rarely changed her expression – a slight smile, a little frown at best. She talked with her eyes, just like others talked with their mouths. He stared at her mouth, uncolored by lipstick, yet still pomegranate red. His hand was on her shin, slightly tanned from the Costa sun. Not even large quantities of sunscreen could banish the rays of the ball of fire in the sky, and while Arien's complexion had not changed much, her legs were looking slightly healthier than usual.

"Why don't you just ditch me?"

The redhead stared at her, surprised. "What kind of a question is that, yo?"

Arien shrugged; her unbound hair fell onto the headboard. "Well, I happen to know your little conquests with women." A sly grin crept on her face. "Looks like the record before me was what? Two weeks? And then, there's me, whom you've been with for nearly two years now. That's more than hundred weeks, you know." She looked at him seriously again. "I want to know why."

"I happen to like women."

"That doesn't explain anything."

"Okay. I'll try to be honest." He sat straighter. "I like beds, I like women. I like sex, and I like what goes before and what goes after. I like the expression all women wear when they take off their clothes, I like it that all women – no matter how flitty and a slut they are – look serious when they step into the bedroom. They all look serious when it's their first time…"

"I'm sure you know," the raven-haired woman said dryly.

"Do you know what's nearly dying out in all women?"

Arien stared. "Of course not."

"It's gonna sound weird coming from me, but it's pure heart." He grinned slightly as he said it. "The only time you can see it is when a woman takes off her clothes and can't look at me straight in the eye, just like I can't see them straight in the eye. But that moment dies fast – usually. The whore takes place of the virgin."

"And Anadiomene leaves the stage."

Reno had no idea what she was talking about; Arien shook her head. "That still doesn't explain the question: why me."

"Because you're one of the very few women who manages to be a virgin every time you take off your clothes. And that's because you don't fuck for pleasure; you do it to pleasure me. You're still a virgin, in a sense."

It was Arien's turn to be absolutely baffled. She did not expect this little speech from the redhead, nor did she expect this ultimate response. She sat, dumbfounded, eyes wide open. Reno grinned, then asked, "Now, why do you stay with me?"

Arien smiled; it was a small smile, the kind which the lips were smiling but the eyes spoke volumes, and even was silent on more.

"I'll tell you later," she said. "Maybe much later."

It seemed to the Turks that someone was messing with the time clock. Or that was how Tseng phrased it, and no one bothered to come up with a better one. It was true – someone slowed time, so that each second meant years, and then hastened the time so much that by the time they realized, whole months had passed. They were already facing a one-year anniversary of the Meteor fall, or, as Reno put it, "throw parties to remind ourselves that a big hunk of rock nearly killed us".

No celebration took place in the DeVir household; Reno and Arien were not even in The Edge when people were celebrating. They – well, Arien – had more imminent things at hand. Personal things that demanded attention.

It was only a week before the Meteor fall anniversary that the letter arrived. Written on creamy paper with purple linings, the ink was thick and ominous when Reno picked it up from the floor. It was addressed to his girlfriend, and so he left it alone. Carrying it in his hand and a crumpled newspaper in the other, he walked to where Arien was sitting in the small home office they shared, typing on the laptop. The Shinra server was still up and running for a reason that nobody knew, and Arien was using it to work on their new project – finding Jenova. Or, as Rufus put it, "Analyzing the effects of Sephiroth's rampage". It was a tedious task, and the Turk was not having a good time. It did not help the day that just an hour before, someone had called her a _Wootsie_ – a derogatory term for the Wutaians. While she didn't fly off the handle and shoot the man, it put her in a bad mood.

"Mail. For you," he said, thrusting the letter under her nose. She looked up; her eyes were tired, and her mouth was in a thin line. She looked at the letter, then frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone died," she said. "It's the traditional stationary we use to notify a funeral." With small ripping sound, she tore the envelope open. "I wonder who it is."

Sitting back in her chair, she stretched as she read. He did not notice something was wrong until a little later, when she had buried her face in her hands and did not move for a long time.

"What's wrong?"

"Ren… Rennie died," she stuttered. She was not crying, but an odd expression was on her face. Like pain, fear, anguish, frustration, all mixed up. And a relief. And regret. And million other things that he could not decipher.

"Aw," was all he could say. And it was all she expected. She did not expect much from him; just to be there was enough.

The funeral was to take place in Wutai. She turned and said, "You'll come, won't you?"

"Me? Why me?"

She turned her head slightly, as if to look away from him. Her face was a mask; she absently scratched her bare arm. But her eyes showed tenderness, regret, and… a plea. A silent one, but a desperate one. He nearly broke then.

"Because…" her voice was cracking, and tears were forming. "Because she wanted to be with you. Whatever her motive was."

And now, here they were, in the funeral procession. Reno felt stiff in the unusually neat uniform – with Arien's tie. The woman was standing next to him; her long hair tied in the traditional bun, her body in the funeral kimono. It was black with white crests, the belt slightly lighter shade of black. She looked good in the traditional Wutaian costume, and her unusual pallor accentuated her red lips. _She looks like someone,_ he thought. Someone he knew. Someone from the past. A haunting face, with a flash of silver, but he did not know whether it was hair or a part of the weapon. Besides, he did not dwell in the past. The past was dead. He was alive.

"You okay, yo?"

No word. A nod. She kept looking at her father, who seemed to have aged a decade in a fortnight. Dark rings were around his eyes, same rings around his daughter's; he looked tired, weary.

The coffin was lowered, and Reno could see that Reniel had lost weight dramatically. The sisters were slender to begin with, but the younger sister seemed almost skin and bones. Dressed in white kimono, she looked innocent, younger than the age. Pale pink flowers – cherry blossoms, out of season – cushioned her, filled by the slender hands of her sister. Her short hair had grown to about chin-length, giving her a small-girl look. Three arrows were placed in her hand – one for the god of the Mountain, one for the God of the Sea, one for the God of the Wind, Arien explained.

The procession moved, each person throwing a relic or a flower into the coffin. Reno watched from behind Arien as she threw the white flowers in her hand. It landed onto Reniel's body with a small noise. The flowers looked virginal, oddly alive on the dead body.

Arien turned, walked away. Reno walked up, tossed in a single, vividly red rose. That was what Reniel was for him: hot-blooded, not exactly innocent, yet with strong emotions. Arien was not a flower – she was a blue crystal, like the one on the ring dangling from the chain around his neck, clear, exquisite, seemingly cold but yet warm to the hands.

"Bye, Rennie," he whispered. He could not say anything else. He turned on his heels and walked away.

The coffin lid was slowly shut, as if they were putting away the slender body forever. The workers began to throw earth onto the coffin; Arien leaned onto the redhead tiredly, her hand on his shoulder. The ring on her finger caught the sunlight and sent out flashes of light into the sky; he absently touched her hand.

They walked together back to the house, which was oddly empty and without life. They were sitting in her room when Reno pointed at black box in the corner and asked, "what's that?"

"That? That's Wutai harp," she replied absently.

"You play?"

"I used to. I haven't played for a month," she replied.

"Play for me."

"No," she replied. "I'm not very good at it."

He did not press on the matter. Then he said, "Why don't you change, yo? You look stiff."

"I think I will," she said. She unraveled the belt and dropped it, then removed the cloth from the shoulders. The kimono fell onto the floor.

"Can you hand me the jeans?"

Reno picked up the jeans and handed it to her. She raised her leg and yanked the blue trousers up her legs, then the other. She zipped up and did the button. He watched, without any hesitation or concern, as she stretched in her jeans like a cat. The sunlight peeped through the window behind her, turning her hair into auburn and reflecting off her white bra. Her paleness was awash with white light, and her eyes were half-closed.

"You're…"

"Hmm?" She stood straight up, and the magic was broken. Yet, he could still see that – what was it? He could not describe it – something about her, faded but still there. Meanwhile, oblivious to his thoughts, Arien pulled on a black turtleneck, then picked up the kimono and carefully folded it. Placing the folded clothes onto the floor, she walked over and opened the blind, closing her eyes as the sunlight hit her face.

Watching her back, Reno finally could name what was about her. It was youth. It was fresh, innocent youth.


	9. 8: The Face from the Past

This is a quick update, so it's going to be short responses to people who reviewed.

ODST girl058 - Hahaha! That's so weird. I sometimes have that kind of experience, and I feel like I entered Twilight Zone.

Raspberry Polar Bear - I like this chapter better. We're actually getting into the plot of Advent Children. Much mystery and fun occurs! Please read on.

Princess Starr - erm, haven't decided yet. Well, Rennie died, so let's see... one casualty. Next scene (the scene after this) is really pretty, just to let you know.

* * *

Chapter VIII: The Face from the Past 

The brief celebration was over when the two came back. The usual gloom was back; Geostigma was going around, and it was spreading like some epidemic. No doctor, no mystic could decode the mystery of the disease; no pathogen was found, and there was nothing wrong with the body. But yet still people suffered, and the black pus oozed.

Small children who had lost their homes and were living on the streets were the first victims. As the Turks strolled around the grim city, they saw young bodies lying on the ground, lifeless. And in the beginning people cared; there were occasional burials, women crying as small children played beside their friends on the ground who were alive the night before. But soon, fewer women wept at the sight of the dead bodies, and fewer burials occurred. Bodies disappeared mysteriously, and no one wondered. It was too mundane, too ordinary, to worry about.

The Turks were different. Although they were a rowdy lot, they were still loyal to Rufus, who was definitely not the kindest but still a responsible superior. Over the months, they even started to feel closer to Rufus, who was sitting in a faraway throne before Shinra fell. Now, ill and weak, he was no longer a corporate president but a person who was desperate to bring back the old glory.

It was one of such monotonous days when Reno and Arien returned. They entered through the doorway, and saw the Rufus was in his room, and that the three were sitting around, doing nothing.

"How boring," Reno commented as he sat down on the wooden floor, inspecting his nails. Arien watched him inspect his nails, then giggled.

"What, yo?"

"Somehow, I never expected you to uh… groom your nails." She continued to giggle. "I find it very amusing."

"Just because I'm a slob doesn't mean I'm unhygienic," he replied sarcastically. Tseng raised his eyebrow.

"Really, Reno? Then tell me why…" Tseng could not finish his sentence, as they all heard Rufus call them imperiously to the bedroom.

"Aw, man, what the hell does the blondie want? Sexual favors?" Reno whined. Tseng shot him a very dirty look.

"I suggest you don't do any disrespect to Rufus, Reno, if you value your hide. You might end up in the ditch."

"If that's so, he's been in the ditch more than I can count," Elena muttered.

"True that."

The four hurried to the elegantly furnished bedroom. It was much simpler compared to Rufus' previous room before Midgar got trashed – they all had to be in there for body guarding one time or another – but for the four of them, it was still very well furnished and elegant. What Rufus thought of it, only Rufus knew. He wasn't a man to complain or express himself outwardly. A leader, a man in control was supposed to be calm, maintained. And Rufus kept that up.

Tseng knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The five entered in a single file. Elena was standing straight up; Arien and Tseng were standing similarly, relaxed but still ready; Rude was standing in a typical SOLDIER fashion; and Reno was slumped on the wall. Rufus said nothing. Reno was a faithful and an efficient subordinate, and as far as he did his job he did not really care what his redheaded subordinate did. It was not exactly his concern.

"We're in the phase two of the Jenova project," Rufus explained. "According to the satellite and DeVir's research, we can still assume that Jenova is in the Northern Crater. However, we do not have substantial evidence, and the information might be faulty. I want you three – that's you, Elena, Tseng, and Reno – to go to the Northern Crater to investigate. Rude will search around the remains of the Temple of the Ancients; Arien will stay here with me. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," the five chorused.

"Good. Tseng, there's a chopper waiting for you at the lift-off in the back, Reno would be piloting it. Reno, drop Rude off at the Temple of the Ancients. Dismissed."

When Rufus said dismissed, they left. As soon as they came out of the earshot, however, Reno sputtered. "Jenova!" he exclaimed. "Man, I thought I had enough with the creepy crawly thing, yo! I mean, why the hell does Rufus want it? It's disgusting, and it caused more trouble than the rest of us."

"Rufus outwardly is maintaining that it is for the reparation of the damage Shinra caused, but we know that's not true. He has to have another motive," Elena agreed.

"I think I have an idea," Arien piped up. The four looked at her. Tseng nodded.

"Well, go on."

"We know Rufus is a tactician; we've all seen that. We also know that Rufus never misses a chance."

Reno looked at her. "So what else is new, Miss Smarty-Pants? That we don't even wanna see an ounce of that disgusting black jelly?"

"What we also know is that Jenova is capable of swaying world's fate. Then, don't you think Jenova will be a powerful weapon? A merchandise?" Arien shook her head. "Rufus is playing a game. It's risky, and it's dangerous, but if he plays it right it can bring him – us – large profits."

Tseng looked at his watch. "Let's get going."

* * *

"Butter, cheese, pumpernickels, truffle chocolates, grapefruits, grapes, and… wine." Arien sighed. "No wonder he has geostigma. It's so unhealthy." 

It had been a week since Reno had departed, and Arien was going through hell. Renaldo Miller had many flaws, but picky eating wasn't one of them. Hell, he ate anything. He happened to like ethnic foods, which was a good plus for her.

Rufus Shinra happened to be another problem.

She had never seen someone eat like this before. She always thought tolerance with food was the mark of good upbringing – that your parents readied the child for the world. Apparently, Shinra's hired governess for the young president did not include dietary education in the curriculum. As the result, Rufus was a picky eater – and that was more gross understatement than saying that Reno was reckless.

Since Rufus had a sudden attachment to secrecy, he did not allow any nurses to come in. As the result, it became the Turks' job to take care of the president – to feed him, clothe him, and make sure that he was living. In more than one sense, he was as incapable as a small infant, as Arien had discovered. He had an amazing lack of everyday convention – for example, he believed that smoked salmon swam around – and could not even cook a simple toast. Arien liked cooking, but this was getting excessive. Not to mention that he had so many dislikes in food that she felt like there were more things in the world that he could not eat than things that he could. As the result, her cooking repertoire had shrunk to an infinitesimal size. It did not help the matter that Rufus was constantly bored with what he was eating.

She paid the money to the clerk, who angrily threw the change back at her. She was too tired to do anything about it, so she grabbed her grocery bag, shoved the change in her wallet, shoved it in her pocket, and left.

Getting out her car keys, she was just about to open the trunk of her car to stash away the groceries when her cell phone shrilled loudly. She stopped, stared at mid-air for a moment, then scrambled to get the cell phone. Having groceries, car keys, and a cell phone in two hands was not enough, and she had to juggle the three for a second before she got oriented again. She finally managed to get hold of her cell phone and check the caller ID – it said, in slanted font, "Reno".

She flipped the phone open. "Hello?"

"Hey babe."

Phone in one hand, she made sure that the groceries won't tumble in the trunk, then shut the trunk with a bang. She opened the door of the car. "Hello, Reno. Where are you?"

"In the Icicle Inn. I didn't know Elena could drink that much, yo."

"You got drunk?" She was slightly annoyed. Here she was, taking care of Rufus and doing menial work, while Reno was… was… drinking. Life just wasn't fair.

"I didn't get drunk. I watched Elena get drunk after thirteen glasses of Icicle Shot." He sounded offended. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm trying to get into my car," she replied absentmindedly. Reno snorted on the other end.

"No, I mean whatcha been doin'."

"Taking care of Rufus, what did you think? How are you going with the assignment?"

"Eh, not good," Reno said without much guilt. "We can't find shit. We have some leads, though. No one around here knows anything. Their heads are probably filled with mush."

Arien had a strong urge to laugh, but controlled herself. She pushed the key into the ignition, pulled the lever beside her, and backed out of the parking lot. "Reno, I have to go. I'm driving, and…"

"You can't talk while you're drivin'," Reno chuckled. "I know. I've seen you drive. Talk to ya later, babe."

"See you."

"Make sure your bed's not warm!" Click. Reno was gone. Flinging the phone onto the passenger seat, she laughed out loud as she drove. At the same time, she missed him. Oh, not too much – she managed to forget him most of the time, she was so busy. But when she was driving, when she reached over in the middle of the night and found no body next to her, when she heard his mocking voice, she missed him.

But not too much.

* * *

The conscience drifted through the Lifestream. Already the souls of those who died with the terrible disease cried out mournfully, pleading for the freedom from the terrible pain, the agony. The conscience ignored it. It had another purpose. 

The conscience sought the world, and found what it sought for.

* * *

It was evening, which meant freedom. Rufus generally left the Turks to their own devices after dinner. When they were together, they would read, go for walks, drink, or play little games that killed time. Arien smiled at the fond memory when Reno got drunk (which was extremely rare – almost everyone pulled out their cameras on their phones and took pictures), crouched in front of her on all-fours, looked at her sensuously, and offered her, in slurred words, a "sensual lapdance that is surely worth your gils". She had laughed, said no, and told him to get off. 

Tonight was no exception, so she sat in the room, alone in the darkness, which she and the redhead shared whenever they stayed in Healin. She had nothing to do. Maybe she'll read a newspaper. Or maybe she'll sleep. Yes, sleep sounded good. She felt that she had not slept properly for days now, maybe even weeks. Every fiber in her body screamed fatigue, and she felt fuzzy.

She stood up from the made bed, stretched, and took a step over to change into pajamas. The step was never completed.

An agonizing pain flashed, and it was so intense and so fast that she could not discern where it was from. Her vision started to have black spots, and she stumbled over her own leg and fell clumsily onto the floor. The wooden floor was not soft, and she felt her knee smash into the planar surface following the laws of physics. Her hands slammed into the wood as well. Her palms burned. And then another flash of pain coursed through. This time, she was ready enough to figure out where the pain was – her scalp.

She felt something wet on her scalp, but did not have the energy nor the courage to touch it. Her vision wavered again threateningly; she tried to stand but her knee buckled and gave in again. Her mouth tasted like it was full of ash; her hands were clammy. Her breathing was faster, almost out of breath, and she had ringing in her ears. She felt herself blacking out and struggled to regain consciousness. Looking around the room, trying to find a way to save herself from collapsing onto the floor, her eyes locked onto the corner of the room, by the window and the closet.

It was a black shapeless mass, growing steadily. Then another spasm of pain attacked her, and she saw a very familiar face. It was familiar, not only because she had seen that face in print before, but because there was uncanny resemblance to her own.

It was an exquisite face. Reno was handsome; this face was beautiful. Eyes that were long and slanted, a slightly sloping small nose, and curvy lips – the kind that the top was angular but the bottom was full. High cheekbones, pale face. Angular chin. She knew that face so well. Too well for her liking.

She blinked, but the face was still there. And with it came the body – well toned and muscular yet lithe and slim, clad in black leather. Tall.

Arien could not speak. Her voice struggled; she opened her mouth and only a gurgle came out. And then another spasm of pain.

Sephiroth.

Oh my god.

She wanted to scream, but no voice came out. She wanted to flee, but her legs betrayed her. She was on all-fours, tears filling her eyes as waves of pain attacked her, threatened to take her consciousness away. There had never been a time when she needed Reno more desperately than now. She wanted him to laugh, to take her away. But Reno was thousand miles from Healin, and she was alone.

"Do not fear, my sister," he was saying. She had never heard his voice before, but it was smooth, deep, with a soothing tone. If she did not know what he was capable of, she would have instantly adored him, loved him, honored him. God, he was beautiful…

Wait a minute. Sister?

Her only sibling was Reniel DeVir, and she was six feet under. As far as she knew, her mother nor her father had any other sexual relationships except with each other. Besides, she would have known if the famous Sephiroth was her brother. Hell, she would have had an easier time getting into the military academy.

"I'm… not your sister." The words came out between a croak and an ungraceful squeak. Saliva was slowly trickling down her mouth.

"Oh, you're related to me, alright," he said. "Didn't anyone ever say to you?"

And she could not say no. Almost everyone close to her had said it. Ivana, Zen, Reno, even Tseng. And she had always accredited the fact to her Wutai heritage, because Hojo was originally a Wutaian. But her father did not have any relatives. He was a single child, and his uncle had no child.

He was lying.

"LIAR!" She hissed, her voice dying. Every tick of the clock seemed to be an hour for her.

"You will find out soon enough, sister," he said calmly, soothingly. "I need something from you. A small thing. I can release you from pain that you're going through right now."

Arien twitched, and she tried to hide it, but it was visible. Sephiroth's lips curved into a smile – a graceful, sinister smile.

"I just need to know where Mother is – your Turk is going after it, isn't he?" Without waiting for her response, he continued. "I don't actually need Mother, sister. I just need the knowledge. It's not too big of a thing to impart with, is it, sister?"

She nearly said yes. She was so close, and the pain was unbearable.

"Y…"

Reno's face flashed before her eyes. His crooked smile, the gentle expression on his face when he looked at her. He had not changed, and then he had changed so much ever since they started to go out. The changes were subtle, but she could see it clearly.

Sephiroth never meant any good for them. He had inadvertently nearly killed Reno and herself. He had nearly destroyed the world in his insanity. He would have no problem killer her – or him. She did not care if she died, but to lose Reno was worse than death. And to deprive Reno of his life – when he loved life so much – was unbearable to her. And for some reason, she knew that Sephiroth was not looking for Genova to offer her a slice of cheesecake.

No, he meant for something else.

And there was no way on earth or in hell that she would lend a hand to some psycho who was previously on a self-assigned mission by some weird jelly with tentacles to destroy the world. She was a Turk, she was supposed to be an evil assassin, but that didn't mean she was wishing for the world destruction.

"No," she said finally. "I can't."

His expression did not change, but a small furrow appeared between his elegant brows, as if he was not expecting this reply. Surely not, not many people said "no" to the great Sephiroth. "No?" He said, almost in a pitying tone. "I suggest you say yes, sister. I would not say things that would be detrimental to you. It would be a sane choice. Think about it."

She watched, her vision hazed with pain in her scalp, as Sephiroth's image began to fade away.

"Sanity ended," she said with gritted teeth as she slowly succumbed to pain and losing consciousness, "when I fell in love with that redhead."


	10. 9: The Northern Crater

Thanks for the review, everyone! 81 hits - not bad (grin). A lot of people seemed to like the last sentence. I like it too. I thought up of that particular sentence in one Physics class when I was not paying attention (do I ever?) and had kept it in mind to use it ever since. Now it's out!

For those of you who have not yet watched FFVII: Advent Children (I really can't see why you haven't - it's an awesome movie), there are MAJOR, MAJOR, GINORMIC SPOILERS. I mean, quarter of the story's a direct rip-off from the movie. But anyways, do read on.

I apologize to those people who think that Enix English dubs should be used, I didn't. I thought they weren't too good, so I used mine instead. Please forgive this non-canon-ness. But I couldn't stand Reno not saying "yo".

RaspberryPolarBear - as always, encouraging review! Thanks!I like to make my characters suffer - a little cutesy Rufus this time, not the "I am the corporate president, I never stain my white jacket and I'm gorgeous as hell" Rufus. I like that Rufus, but come on, he can't be perfect all the time. A little cameo on Rude as well.

toyBOX - I have a feeling that Arien will not be alright. Just kidding! I myself don't know. All I know so far is that she isn't what she seems to be, but then, who is? Reno's going to be bashed around, so please beware. But then, he was bashed around in the movie as well. Poor guy. But he is funny.

NarcissisticRiceBall - I LOVE YOUR LONG REVIEW. (cap cap cap!) Anyways, Thanks for the long review. I was very hurt with the first review for _C'est La Vie_ (it was a complete flame saying that nobody would read it and it sucked), so I resolved not to make Arie a Mary-Sue. I guess it was success. Thanks!

Devil-Angel - PERFECT timing. Your questions will be answered (mostly) in this chapter. My plan succeeded - I decided that Rufus wasn't going to be the perfect, self-controlled, cold, calculating President Shinra. Arien and Reno are cute, in a way. They keep bickering at each other, but I couldn't imagine Reno going lovey-dovey.

Kind of lengthy chapter, but I kind of liked it. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 9 - Northern Crater

Arien DeVir woke up the next morning, and wondered why her shoulder and her back ached so much. Why was the bed under her so hard? She tried to turn, and then realized that she was not on the bed. And she wasn't in her pajamas. She was still fully clothed, on the floor.

Oddly enough, she had no recollection of the happening of the night before, just that she had gone through intense pain. She lifted herself up, and saw that the floor – about where her head was – had black crusty substance stuck onto the wooden panels. She scraped one off with her finger, then looked at it.

In a sudden horror she realized what it was. Where it came from.

Geostigma.

The sudden realization hit her violently. She could not move. The sudden realization that she was afflicted with that illness, the illness that apparently had no cure yet, shook her from the core. She felt the need to do things, so that she would not regret before her death, but she somehow felt that something fearful – death, perhaps – was outside the bedroom door, ready to grab her. So she sat there, immobile, for a few minutes.

She heard Rufus calling her name, and finally stood up. It was good to know that someone who was alive, someone in the same situation as her, was within the same house. Besides, she had her duties; her military training told her to put aside her fears and attend to Rufus as the diligent good soldier.

She opened the door and found herself tiptoeing through the hallway To Rufus' room. She knocked.

"Come in."

"You called, sir?" Even after the months, she was still calling Rufus "sir". It felt unnatural to call Rufus by his name. Even after the company's fall, Rufus was still the president for her, clad in immaculate white, his blond hair perfect, his presence commanding.

"I called you several times, DeVir. It is unlikely of you to sleep in. Were you tired?" He looked at her, then asked, "What's that thing on your face?"

"What thing?" She walked over as Rufus beckoned to her imperiously with his delicately shaped hand. "Where, sir?"

"Here." He gently touched her cheek. The black thing flaked off, and landed on Rufus' duvet soundlessly.

They stared at the black flake, wordless. Then Rufus looked at her.

"So… you too…" There was a look of infinite pity in Rufus' eyes.

Tears flooded her own eyes, and she broke down. She could do nothing but cry, and realized – perhaps too late – how much she loved life. She finally understood how desperate Rufus felt everyday, and how much willpower it must have taken him to keep control of himself.

As she cried, she wondered: _how can he lead this life? How can he go on?_

* * *

"Yo, Elena, stop blabbin'." Reno stuffed a finger in his other ear as he listened to Arien's voice. Elena was chatting with Tseng, and he could not hear what she was saying. 

"…so I think there's enough evidence to say that Jenova is still in the Northern Crater, Reno. The satellite images indicate that there's some Lifestream turbulence going on around there; besides, isn't that where Sephiroth was last seen, before he had the final battle?"

"Supposedly, yah."

"Rufus is saying to get on with the plan and retrieve Jenova as soon as possible. I can hold him off, but not for long. He's demanding results." He heard paper shuffling. "Do you want me to send you the map?"

"Arie, weren't you the one who was suspicious of Rufus being the power-hungry blond boy? What's up with this… hurrying?" He was treading on thin ice, and any wrong movement would be sending him to the wrong side of Arien DeVir for at least three days. While they weren't even physically together, they still exchanged phone calls, and he did not like it when Arien was angry with him. He was also half-expecting a woman's gentle voice saying "I just miss you, that's all" or something in similar context. He was sorely betrayed, and he reprimanded himself for expecting it. Arien DeVir was a Wutaian, and it was rare for her to express her emotions verbally. Even if she did miss him – which he doubted still – she would not say it.

"I just need you all back here, I'm extremely exhausted with Rufus' eating habits." Arien sounded exasperated. "I need someone to switch before I collapse of exhaustion. If I see another slice of smoked salmon, I am going to scream."

"Have you heard from Rude?"

"Yes. He's coming back tomorrow. He found nothing in the rubble except Cait Sith's old battered body. He asked Reeve if he wanted it. Reeve said no." Arien chuckled. "So, do you want the map or not? I think it's pretty accurate."

"Sure, yo. By the way, how's Geostigma death toll going?"

The silence was not something he expected. After what seemed to be hours of silence, Arien finally said, "It's… bad. It's really bad. More people are dying everyday, and all the pus specimens are what we've never seen before. There's still no cure." For some reason, her voice sounded cracked. Maybe he should switch to a new phone.

"How's Rufus?"

"He's doing fine. He can stand and walk, but he likes to keep to wheelchairs for some reason." There were some keys being typed. "I'll send you the map to your cell phone, okay? It's in Shinra server."

"Okay, yo."

"Alright. Bye." The phone went dead. He snapped the phone shut, and slid it in his pocket, then turned his attention to Elena and Tseng. He winced as the cloth of the sleeve touched his injured shoulder, and missed Arien sorely. She did not have her medical license, but she did have enough knowledge and practice to act as an emergency physician among the Turks. Elena had hastily bandaged the shoulder, but it still hurt.

"What's going on?" Tseng asked, writing something down on the napkin with a ballpoint pen. Elena looked at it, nodding. Reno shrugged, then winced again.

"Rude's comin' back to The Edge. Arie found stuff about the target, she's sending the map to my cell right now, Boss." Tseng looked away from whatever Elena was writing on the napkin and looked at the Turk Ace. "Prez is pissed off, because the assignment's taking longer than he expected. He expects us to come back soon, with solid results."

"Bugger," Tseng mouthed. "When is DeVir sending the map?"

"Uh, now, actually." He flipped the phone open, and turned the phone mode to a small browser. Sure enough, there was a document in his account on the Shinra server with the document title "map" on it. Using the slidepad on the cell phone, he maneuvered the cursor and hit "open".

"Hey Tseng, can we get out of this dingy bar? I can't see shit."

Tseng mouthed "go ahead", then turned his attention back to Elena's writing, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he tried to decipher the young blonde woman's cramped handwriting. Reno sighed, stood up from the chair he was sitting, and walked out the bar.

The bright sunshine outside hit the snow, and reflected it. He winced involuntarily as the light rays intensified the beams and hit his mako-enhanced eyes. Coming straight out from the bar's gloom into a brightly-lit noon was not a pleasant experience. Looking at the cell phone again, he noticed that Arien had marked the terrains and the locations of the nearby areas explicitly. A small green circle was painted upon a certain area of the Northern Crater, with an arrow pointing at it. The description said, "Presumed Area of Jenova".

He scrolled down, and saw that below there was some information on the local terrain. He ignored the local footholds and grounds, retrieving the actual damn thing was Elena and Tseng's job, not his. He paid special attention to the weather, however. Piloting a helicopter was quite different depending on the weather; he had piloted jet aircrafts before in snow, but not choppers. He quickly ran through the report, "… heavy occasional snowstorms, bright sun when no clouds, may prove to be difficult to see clearly around 2 in the afternoon, due to heavy fog", then looked at the weather forecast attached below. The best weather to fly was in three days.

He walked back to the bar, where Elena and Tseng were talking quietly. He took a seat next to Tseng and said, "I think Arie hit the jackpot."

"Let's see," Tseng said. He silently handed the cell phone over to the boss, who looked through the report. Tseng nodded.

"This looks like our best lead yet. I'll have to commend her to Rufus, of course," he said. "Reno, when's the earliest you can pilot the chopper there?"

"Three days from now, Boss."

"Not earlier?" Elena asked.

"Nope, 'Laney. Weather's too bad. Unless you wanna risk becoming a frozen meat alongside Jenova. Your choice."

"But weren't you bragging that you can pilot anything anytime, anywhere?"

"Generally, yeah. But there's a snowstorm raging right there – probably to make sure that Jenova doesn't come back to life or something – and it's a chopper, which is much tougher to keep control of rather than a fighter jet which I'm used to, and Arie said that landing's pretty much impossible. I gotta hover above you guys while you guys go on a nice snowy date, and there's no way that I'm doing that in a storm. So you can go fuck yourself."

Elena winced at Reno's unnecessary profanity.

"Trust me, 'Laney, I wanna get done with this shit ASAP too. Rufus' fucking pissed at three of us because we're taking damn too long, and Arie was sounding shitty. But that's the earliest, and that's that."

"Let me take a look," Elena said. Tseng handed over Reno's prized cell phone. Elena looked at it, and seemed to determine that all the piloting lingo was quite beyond her. Indeed, Arien had taken intensive lecturing from Reno about piloting. He was the only one who could pilot a fighter jet to a chopper on the team.

She handed back the phone as it rang. Reno hit _talk_. "Reno here."

"It's Rude."

"Hey, Rudy baby. Ready to face the mighty Rufus, yo?" He tried to make it sound jovial. Tseng was used to Rufus' outbursts, and Rufus tended to curb his explosions in front of Elena. Arien was stoic enough not to show anything, and Reno could care less. But Rude tended to take his missions seriously, and was seriously depressed when Rufus reprimanded him.

"No. Why?"

"Haven't you talked to Arie yet?"

"DeVir? No." As usual, Rude's responses tended to be limited to three words max.

"Apparently Rufus is being very shitty. Pissed off that we aren't doing our job fast enough. Whatdya find in the old rubble?"

"Cait Sith's body." He sounded emotionless. "And rubbles."

"Huh. You going back?"

"I'm back."

"Oh. Why use cell then?"

"Landline tapped."

"Oh." That made sense. Arien sounded like she was breaking up, and his caller ID registered her number from her cell phone. He was wondering why.

"Reno, we're going," Tseng was saying next to him. He nodded at his boss.

"Hey, Rude, gotta go. Keep updates."

"Right."

"See ya." He hit _end_.

* * *

Sergeant Rude Richardson was glad to be back to The Edge. The trip to the Temple of the Ancients had been absolutely worthless. He drove out of the rubble, caught a flight, and came back to The Edge, still amazed at how quickly people could recover. 

When the Meteor hit Midgar, the people were in absolute terror, despite the warnings they had received. They had looked to the batter Shinra Company for shelter and peace. Shinra could offer neither; the entire structure was falling down with the President quite literally on top, and all they could do was not to fall into absolute pieces.

With most of the execs gone, it fell to the Turks to keep the Shinra propped up. Rufus, with all of his brilliant mind, was one of the first who were afflicted with Geostigma. Although the Turks could not do anything in the open – they were assassins, and they could not really be charitable in the open, enough people hated Reno from the Sector 7 incident – they tried to help from the shadows, keeping the relative discipline of the refugees and eliminating those who sought to take advantage of the weak and the poor.

The people's vitality was what brought the Midgar back. It was not exactly Midgar, it was a new city, uncontrolled by the corporation monarchy called Shinra Company. However, in but a few months stores were up, cybernet was back on, cell phones were working, and there were structured public services, such as medical facilities. People were no longer living in hovels and prop-up shacks, and apartments and buildings were growing at an alarming rate.

He made his trek up the unpaved path to the Healin Lodge. He pulled his keys out, and opened the door. He saw Arien just walking out from the main wing, looking tired. She was dressed in jeans and a pink turtleneck. She looked at him and smiled.

"Welcome back, Rude." Her voice was still crisp, no nonsense. But there was a hint of relief and gentleness in it. "Are you alright?"

"No injuries."

"That's good news." She walked over and closed the door. "Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Alright. It's time for lunch anyways." She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "Why don't you go to your room and get changed? I'll be making lunch. Rufus is sleeping, so no point waking him up till lunch. Any requests?"

"…" Rude shook his head no.

"I'm so glad. I've been obeying a strictly unhealthy diet for the past few days."

Rude nodded. Arien walked back partway with him, then turned to the direction of the kitchen. He entered his room – there was no dust, and it was clean. Arien had been cleaning.

He took off his jacket, then his shirt. He changed into jeans, then pulled on a grey hoodie. He then placed the shed uniform on the hanger, then the hanger into the closet. He then lay on his bed.

He did not mean to fall asleep, but apparently he did, because he woke up with Arien peeking into the room from the slightly ajar door. A red, large apron was visible. "Lunch is ready," she said. "Rufus is up. Do you want to sleep? You can, if you want to."

"No, I'll come."

"Alright." She disappeared.

Lunch turned out to be much better than what he had been eating for the last few days. The simple pasta and bread seemed to be more delicious than luxurious dinners that he had tasted; he ate vigorously, without much talk.

Rufus ate sparingly, and did not finish even half the plate when he pushed the dish away, saying that he was full. He sat back in the chair, eyes closed, his blond hair falling on his face.

Arien ate moderately, quietly asking questions, to which Rude answered with few words. She seemed unconcerned about the lack of success, and seemed to be genuinely glad that he came back. It was only after the conversation turned to the certain redhead that Rude saw the woman's expression darken a little. It vanished in an instant, but he still saw it.

"Where's Reno?"

"Somewhere around the Northern Crater, I presume," she said as she collected the plates and the dishes. She piled them up, then stood up and carried them to the sink. "He's doing fine, I think. They're closing in."

"Huh," he said, picking up the recent issue of Junon Weekly.

After cleaning the aftermath of lunch, Rufus went back to his room. Rude left the house again, telling the two that he wanted to take a walk. Arien retreated back to her own domain, where a large question was growing in her mind. 

The encounter with Sephiroth – or the projection of him – greatly disturbed her, shaken her to the core.

And what was up with what he called her? _Sister_? _Excuse me_, she thought, _but I don't remember being a sister of some psychopath who thought it was a brilliant idea to destroy the world, thank you. Besides, I would have known if I had a brother. _

But Sephiroth – or whatever that thing was – had sown a small seed of doubt that was constantly being nourished by her curiosity and her fear. It did not help that numerous memories constantly reminded her that people thought she looked like him. Looking into the mirror, she absently touched her nose. Did she really look like him?

There was only one way to check without Reno knowing it.

She knew what to do.

* * *

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? The Lady Turk herself." 

"Shut up," Arien retorted, though not too harshly. "What's with this merriment? You two are positively glowing."

Ivana Delassi smiled demurely and took hold of her lover's hand. Zen Flescher, who closely resembled Rufus when he was young although he was in no relation with him, smiled back at the silver-haired woman with much love and happiness in his face. Arien had a strong urge to start laughing uncontrollably, and used her training to keep her face straight. If Reno was here, the two would be cackling like hyenas. She had an awful habit to start laughing whenever it was the least appropriate, especially in front of these two.

"I'm pregnant, Arie," Ivana said dreamily.

Arien could not have been more surprised if Ivana had told her firmly that there was a love triangle between Captain Cid Highwind, the legendary Vincent Valentine of the Turks, and Reeve Tuesti. She nearly fell off her chair. Married? This coming from Zen Flescher, who always used to say that his only dream and aspiration in his life was to become Renaldo Miller Junior? Ha, very funny.

"Congratulations," she said with much enthusiasm and some sarcasm in her voice.

"Did you come here for this? We haven't really told anyone, but…"

"No, Ivy, even with my training in Intelligence and being with the Turks will let me know that. I didn't even know it until you told me." Another bubble of laughter surged up and she coughed. "I have to ask you something. It's serious, so don't gloat or bask in the happiness of your marriage just right now. It doesn't have anything to do with you, but it's very important."

Ivana sat straight. Zen looked at her with his sky blue eyes. "Shoot," he said. Arien reached inside her pocket and pulled out a profile shot and a front shot of General Sephiroth, one of the few dozen that Shinra owned.

"Does he look like me?"

Ivana looked at the picture, then her. Then studied her face for few minutes. Arien could imagine what Ivana Delassi was seeing: the same eye color, the similar contours of the nose, the high cheekbones, the same mouth, the same long, slanted eyes. She also fervently hoped that she would notice their definitely different hair color. Zen just kept staring at her. She was starting to feel that she was an animal at the zoo, and also began to wonder if she had made the right decision in coming here.

"Yes," Ivana said finally, and Arien snapped awake. "If I didn't know you, you two can almost pass as brother and sister."

She nearly topped off the chair for the second time within five minutes.

* * *

Few hours later, Arien was typing frantically in the search engine of the Shinra server in her own room. Geneal Sephiroth's pictures lay on the floor, ripped in tiny little pieces. Both her father and Sephiroth's parents were Shinra-related; all Shinra-related personnel and their families were diagramed in a huge chart, with their names written on it. If they had any common relatives, it would be listed here. She had always thought that this part of their job – researching the relatives and listing each member in the server – was a thorough waste of time and money, but now she was thankful for it. 

She browsed through the D, and quickly found her family. Listed were, _Soukou DeVir_, _Arien DeVir_, _Reniel DeVir_. She clicked on herself first.

_Arien DeVir: Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department (Turks). Second Lieutenant. Rank 20. Born on October 19th, 81. Daughter to Soukou DeVir and Flera DeVir (Maiden name Crescent). Height: 175cm. Weight: 57.4kg. Status: Alive. Vision: 2.0 (Nightvision 4.0). Eye color: blue-green. Hair color: raven. Last Mako treatment on: March 3rd, 99 by Dr. Hideki Hojo. Currently residing in Midgar with Renaldo Miller (Sergeant, Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, Second-in-Command). Education: Military Academy. Intelligence Quotient:178. Materia Affinity: Ice. Weapon Preference: firearm ammunition._ _Currently under the command of Tseng Uzuki (Major General, Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, Command) and Renaldo Miller. Diligent worker. Quiet. _

Arien chuckled slightly at the last comment. She then clicked on the name _DeVir_. After a cursory glance at each family member's name, she clicked _print_, then went back to the previous screen. No clue there, Arien thought, then scrolled up. She found _Renaldo Miller_. Grinning, she clicked on it.

_Renaldo Miller: Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department (Turks). Sergeant. Rank 25. Born on June 30th, 79. Son to Leon Miller and Isabella Miller (Maiden name Doppio). Height: 183cm. Weight: 70kg. Status: Alive. Vision: 2.0 (Nightvision 3.0). Eye color: aquamarine. Hair color: red. Last Mako treatment on: January 17th, 98 by Dr. Hideki Hojo. Currently residing in Midgar with Arien DeVir (Second Lieutenant, Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department). Education: Junior High School. Intelligence Quotient:115. Materia Affinity: Lightning. Weapon Preference: Electromagnetic Rod._ _Currently under the command of Tseng Uzuki (Major General, Administrative Research, Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, Command). Disobedient, reckless._

That made her laugh. She never knew Reno's intelligent quotient was lower than hers; sure, she was the educated one, but he was the one who came up with assertions that tended to be correct. Chuckling, she typed into the search engine, "Sephiroth".

_Sephiroth (Hojo): SOLDIER General. Born on July 23rd, 71. Son to Dr. Hideki Hojo (Scientific Research, Biotechnology Sector) and Dr. Lucrecia Crescent (Scientific Research, Chemical Engineering Sector). Height: 196cm. Weight: 78kg. Status: Deceased. Vision: 2.0 (Nightvision 6.0). Eye color: blue-green. Hair color: silver. Last Mako treatment on: November 2nd, 94 by Dr. Hideki Hojo. Education: Military Academy. Intelligence Quotient: 251. Materia Affinity: All. Weapon Preference: Bladed (Masamune). Currently in command of the SOLDIER unit 1st Class. Extremely capable._

Extremely capable. What a way to put it. Something was amiss; there was a link between her family and his, but she could not immediately place it. She read her own life story again, then his.

Then it hit her.

_Crescent_.

Both of their mothers had the same last name. However, how could it be? Lucrecia Crescent was in prime of her life almost 30 some years ago. Flera DeVir was a single child.

It did not make much sense.

She clicked on her mother's name, then selected _Family Tree. _For the size, she typed in _5_. Immediately the computer loaded the family history in a neat diagram in front of her, three generations posted on a single screen. She looked for her mother; Flera Crescent was born to Delara Crescent and Kirua Crescent. Her mother was a half; Delara was a Wutaian, but Kirua was from Icicle Area. She never knew that.

She then looked for Lucrecia Crescent. It was a relatively easy search; she was listed right next to Flera Crescent. Apparently Lucrecia's mother and Kirua were siblings.

They were cousins.

That made Sephiroth and her second cousins.

And Sephiroth was older than her.

That meant she could be his sister, in a way.

That could mean that the gene which drove Sephiroth insane could be in her.

_Oh god, Mother, who am I? What am I?_

* * *

Snow blew wildly at the cliffy edges of the ground that swelled like a menacing pit of doom. The white powder decorated the black crater with white mask of death, promising misery to anyone who was unlucky enough to fall into it. It was not a pleasant view, and that was, by far, everyone's agreement. 

Above one of the cliff edges hovered a chopper, its propellers whirring with loud rapping noises. It was a relatively large one used mainly in the military, seating at least four people or more. The windows were lightly masked with snow, which melted as soon as it came in contact with the warmth On the door was a logo that was painted in gold and crimson, emblazoning the owner of the chopper: Shinra.

Inside, Renaldo Miller, Sergeant, called by his colleagues and his friends with a lovable nickname "Reno", the second-in-command of the Turks, was boredly maneuvering the control stick of the chopper, sitting in the pilot seat. Yet, if a knowing person had seen him, one would have known that Reno was anything but bored. His eyes had an aggravated look that was a telltale sign that he was not happy. And rightfully so.

"Ah, fuck, stupid fucking weather," Reno swore. It was a perfectly clear day when they took off, but it was as though as whatever was in there – whether it was Sephiroth's corpse or a god or some evil demon – really didn't want them there. As soon as the Crater came into view, snow started to fall, and while it was not yet a full-blown blizzard, it was getting close.

Ignoring Reno's repeated swearing, the two other Turks were seated in the passenger seat, conversing about what was in Tseng's lap.

"Tseng!" Reno heard Elena cry. "Look at this!"

Tseng's voice. "Jackpot."

Elena again. "Looks a little gross, doesn't it?"

Reno was getting slightly annoyed. Here he was, swearing his ass off and fighting the wind and the snow to keep the stupid thing in the air, and the two others were just ogling at the prize. What fuckers.

"Just hurry up, yo," he muttered, repeating what Tseng had told him. What a bastard. He jerked the stick toward him violently, and the entire body shuddered in response.

"Reno! Please!" Tseng's voice blared through the headset. Reno made a vague gesture with his hand, then sat properly in the seat, gripping the control stick with both his hands this time.

"Gotcha, yo."

It was when Reno was banking to the right when it happened. There were shots ringing through the crater, one, then two, then whole bunch, like the sounds were hitting the crater walls and reverberating like thousand echoes. Then, he heard Tseng's voice shouting, "hey, hey hey!" like Reno was planning this ambush all along. Asshole.

Or maybe not. It didn't sound like it was directed toward him.

"Sir! Quickly!" Elena sounded panicked, and Reno jerked to attention. Elena was always panicky, but then Tseng was sounding panicky too. This meant something was up.

"Sir!"

"Who is it…?" Reno wondered to himself. He heard a gasp, Elena's, filled with pain, and his question was out of his mind.

"Elena!" Tseng was screaming now. Reno heard footsteps and scrambling around. What the hell was going on?

He had no time to wonder, as suddenly the chopper felt too light and then Elena's voice was yelling, "G… go!"

He continued to bank, then swerved back to the direction of Midgar and The Edge. It was only when he was out of the snow that Reno risked looking back at the passenger seat. No one was there. There was just a black box sitting complacently on the plastic leather seats.

No sign of Tseng or Elena.

Reno groaned, mentally beating himself. "Oh shit…"


	11. 10: Hardships and Matrimonies

Wow. I added "Sephiroth" and all of a sudden I got more reviews than ever! Thanks everyone!

ODSTgirl058 - No, I don't have Arien's death in the plan at the moment, since there's going to be a sequel. Haha. I always wonder if Elena freaked out (like she usually did) and annoyed Tseng witless. I'm guessing Tseng was composed as usual, but if I was Elena I would have hyperventilated because 1. I'm with my favorite sexy guy in the whole wide world, 2. It's friggin cold, 3. Reno left me to die. Dunno. What do you think?

Again - Thaaanks! I want to go canon on most of my things (unless they're humor), so C'Est La Vie was during the game, and this one is right around AC, as it is obvious. I am going to create Before Crisis story about Reno if I get around to it, and definitely a Dirge of Cerberus story (well, probably). I'm currently wondering what will happen to Shinra Company. I don't think it'll just die with Rufus in the lead...

g0ngZhu - Well, Elena and Tseng falling is completely my imagination. All we see in the movie is Reno sitting in the seat and the helicopter and we hear voices, so I tried to make my version of what actually happened. To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe Elena and Tseng were having sex in the back seat (hehehe), and that's why Elena was gasping. I don't know.

DevilAngel - Yup, Rufus feels sorry for the poor girl. I'm guessing Rufus was intrigued by this Turk too, but it never actually got to Rufus having a crush on her, because Rufus crushing on anyone is... just unthinkable. Arien is really freaking out, because she doesn't know what caused Sephiroth to go insane and she thinks she might go insane as well. Add that to Geostigma and you have one picture of misery. Poor girl.

RaspberryPolarBear - Hahaha. It is weird, but I had the idea since C'Est La Vie. I mean, Sephiroth has to have some relatives, so why not her? It's a nice twist anyway. I really don't know how Reno will react when he hears the truth. I'm thinking it's either he'll go crazy trying to find a cure and hating Sephiroth, or he wonders if he's actually gay because... maybe he likes Arien because he secretly likes Sephiroth? (hehehe)

SilverSanctum92 - Thanks! Everyone seems interested in Arien related to Sephiroth thing. This thing is going to play a big role in the unfolding events, but I won't say anymore, because it's going to give away the plot. This chappie doesn't really have anything with the unfolding plot... but Arien is a woman, and she wants Reno's kid (she must be brave) and get married, like everyone else. That might explain this chappie a little.

NarcissisticRiceBall - Thanks! It's kind of hard, because we never ever see Arien in the game or the story (duh). So I have to explain where she was when Cloud encountered Reno everytime. I'm glad you like it. It's going to be very loyal to the script in a sense, but I'm not using the English dub script. It'll be pretty much the same, though. You'll see more characters from the AVALANCHE as well... oops, I said too much.

I hate I had to try to upload this 5 times yesterday.

* * *

Chapter 10: Hardships and Matrimonies

Arien DeVir was just stepping out of the shower when she heard the front door rattle impatiently. She hurried into her room, hoping that Rufus or Rude won't randomly barge out, holding the white bath towel around her body, dripping water. Now that she was in her room, she thought for a moment and realized that Rufus' room was too far away to hear anything, and Rude was out again. She was really blanking out.

Whipping her towel off, she pulled on her white shirt that she slept in. It was white linen, no sleeve, halter, with white cloth cut in upside down V-shape above her breasts. A brown plastic ring was fitted on the crest of the V, and a white thong went through it and around her neck. It was empire waist, and pretty comfortable. She had absolutely no time to do anything with her dripping hair; she wrung it out in the bath but it was still soaked. Pulling on blue jeans angrily and nearly tripping in the process, she slid her barefoot onto the wooden floor, and flew out of the room.

Another rattle, this one even more urgent. "Okay, okay, I'm coming!" She yelled, replying to the rattle. Her hair was stuck to her bare shoulders and was soaking the white cloth of her shirt. Shaking her head – and flinging water droplets everywhere – she reached the front door, unlocked it, and yanked it open.

She gaped at what she saw. Reno was standing there, tired, a little bruised, but still him. His eyes were a little dull with pain, and his mouth was not in a usual sloppy grin. He was holding a box in one hand, EMR in the other. His jacket was torn in the sleeve, and his expression was between "oh shit" and "I'm fucked".

"Reno?" She said dumbly. He nodded.

"I missed you. I missed you so much." The words flew out of her mouth from nowhere. She impulsively threw her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek. He stood there, a little surprised, and then a slow, lopsided grin crept to his mouth. He kissed her back.

"Mm, maybe I should come back injured each time so I get some welcome back gifts," he observed cynically. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"I really don't think so."

"Ha." He walked in, placed the box on the floor carefully, propped up the EMR in the corner, stretched, and announced, "I'm back, yo." His walk was weary, slow, unlike Reno's usual quick, wide gait. She looked at him as he tossed the crumpled jacket on the floor, then ran over as she saw a red stain on the white shirt.

"Elena? Tseng?"

"Ah, I'll tell ya later, babe," he said, moving straight to the bedroom, yawning.

* * *

_The dude was a fucking piss-off bastard, hands down. Reno eyed him with annoyance. His think blond hair, his "I'm so cool and you aren't" smug face, his expensive clothes, his A+ work. Teacher's pet. Teacher's bitch. His enemy._

_And currently, on his hit list. Number One too._

"_You wanna fight, huh? What about that, you fucking prick?"_

"_I'll tell Mr. Gayne!" The prick yelled. The next moment, the fucking ass was on the floor, bleeding from the head, unconscious. Reno had his stick in his hand – again. Lethal stick in deadly Reno's hand. His brown hair was matted in blood. Crimson. _

_Some kid had rushed off to get the nurse. He was just standing there, bloody stick in his hand, his other hand jammed in his pocket, watching the prick bleed. Bleed, bleed to death. Losers don't deserve to live. Bleed. Bleed._

_Then suddenly, the prick stood up! People had dissipated; now it was just the prick and him. But the prick no longer had blond hair; it was raven, and it was long. The prick was no longer a prick either; it was a woman, slender, naked. Her face was exotic, delicately chiseled to exquisite beauty. He felt desires for her, to see the lips open to breathe under him, to see her gasp in pleasure._

_Yet, the woman did not look at him with interest; rather, there was hatred, bitterness, and grudge living in her eyes. Her hair was wet, and it stuck to her skin, a stark contrast of raven against her powder white skin._

"_Murderer…" her voice was soft, yet he could hear it._

"_Murderer… you killed me… when I loved you… when I trusted you…"_

_His vision was turning red. Hatred was burning in her eyes. His head felt like it was splitting. And then he felt warm liquid down his nose, from his mouth, from his eyes._

_He touched it. It was not clear. It was crimson._

_Blood. It was blood. And he was bleeding to death..._

"Arrrrrrrgh!" 

"Reno! Reno!" Arien was shouting in his ear. "Wake up! Goddamn it, wake up!"

Reno woke up. Arien was next to him, sitting up, hovering over him. She looked worried, wondering.

"Oh god, Arie…" he trembled. "It's freezing, yo."

"No, it's not, you're drenched in sweat." She answered mechanically, then pulled out a T-Shirt from the dresser and tossed it into the bed. "Wear those. And you have to report to Rufus. He's awake."

"Ah shit." He pulled on his shirt. He was still in the slacks. The white shirt was stained with blood, and was on the floor in a heap. His now-cleaned wound still stung like hell. It looked like he was in for a godawful day.

"Enter," said Rufus' voice.

Rufus Shinra always reminded Reno of the school captain in his high school that he never completed. His high school was rowdy – in the sector slums, it was difficult to find good education. The goal of most of the male students was to be at the higher level of the social hierarchy, and that meant either licking up to the school captain – which, he could assure, almost never worked – or literally fighting the way up. He took the latter course, and by the end of the freshman year he had made himself a little name, both as a lady killer (his grin and his few words could open a lot of pair of legs), and a tough fighter. Needless to say, the school captain took notice of him.

The school captain, named Legend, used to be like him, or that was how the rumor went. Until, that is, when the Dean of Students tried to save him from crashing out the fifth storey window when they were fighting. Legend survived, but the Dean did not. That calmed Legend a little; when Reno was a freshman, Legend was a quiet senior with control of the school gang in his hand. He was a good student, but rumor had it that he probably could beat anyone in the fight still. Dressed in a blue shirt, a navy tie and a white suit all the time with his black hair neatly combed back, he really looked like a weak stunt for him. Yet even a hulking junior weighing 200 pounds obeyed Legend with absolute loyalty. There was a sense of leadership and responsibility around the school captain. Rufus Shinra closely resembled him, not just because he had his hair combed immaculately or because they both wore white, but because for the exchange of absolute loyalty, Rufus and Legend both took responsibilities for the subordinates. It might have helped that they both sought to keep the peace.

He had always liked Legend, even after he dropped out.

Sometimes, he hated Rufus.

"Sir, Reno reporting."

"Good, Reno. Since I never read your reports anyway considering that they're non-existent, let's hear the report from yourself."

So Reno talked. Renaldo Miller, the famous killer, was definitely not dumb enough to cross this young blond who was sitting in a chair, a white cloth draped over him. Rufus was patient up to a point, and then it was explosion. And then the best idea was to run like hell for your life. After telling the story, he had to get to the part. The bad part.

"We have to casualties, sir. Elena and Tseng."

Rufus tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. "Explain."

"We were under an ambush. I retrieved the box, but Elena and Tseng are… well..."

"Missing." It wasn't a question. It was a tone of finality.

"Yes, sir."

"Reno, this is appalling. Those two must be retrieved back at once." Rufus' voice was emotionless, and he winced. He really didn't feel like running around the world looking for the kiss-ass boss and a ditzy blonde. Besides, it was unlikely that he would be able to move his arm again for at least a few days.

Fuck.

But he could not say no to Rufus. Rufus Shinra did not take no's. No was not in his dictionary.

"Sir." Arien was standing behind Reno, and the redhead whirled. "May I borrow Reno for a second?"

"You may, if you explain the reason."

"Sergeant Miller has a wound to his side that he did not mention. I'd rather take care of it now than have a large infection later."

Suave. Arien had successfully defeated Reno's predicament and Rufus' anger in one move. He sometimes thanked for Arien's tactical manipulations. Like now, for instance.

"Wounds?"

"Yes, sir. A severe cut in a shoulder, and a large bruise and a medium cut to the side. They won't be a problem if it's taken care of."

Rufus waved his hand imperiously. "Reno, you're dismissed."

* * *

"You know you landed yourself in a big shit, right?" Reno asked as they walked down the corridor. It was lit with white hazy mist, the sun streaming through the window. Healin was a nice place, if not as extravagant as Shinra Mansion. It was more than big enough for Rufus and the Turks anyways. 

"Yes, I know," she replied. "But Rude's tired, and you're out of question. Don't worry, I can handle myself."

"Yeah yeah. You're such a big girl, you can tie your shoes!" He mocked her. "Come on, Arie, you're an intelligence agent, not a fighter, yo."

"I can." She snorted. "Now I'm going to get that wound before I leave a feverish lunatic in Rude's hands. That'd be too much."

Whether because it was simply necessary or because Arien was a little annoyed, Reno never knew, but the treatment was more than painful. When she was done, he was wondering what on earth he had done to deserve such treatment.

"Now lay back and stay low for a while," she told him. "I'm going to find Elena and Tseng."

* * *

She could not leave right away, however. In a sudden bout of turbulence, people around the two were getting married. First it was Ivana and Zen. This time, it was Vera and Shiv, which surprised the two. Arien wanted to leave as soon as possible, but since she had absolutely no lead as to where the two were, she had to search for that first. Reno had simply reported "The Crater", but she doubted they were still in it. Nothing and no one – save Sephiroth and Jenova – lived in there since the Meteor Fall. 

"I can't believe they're getting married," Arien said as she got dressed in their bedroom in the house in the Edge. This was her second time being a bridesmaid, and she was decidedly refusing any other offers from her friends. She was not exactly superstitious, but "thrice a bridesmaid, never a bride" was playing an influence on her. Reno personally thought it was just a bunch of crap. Who believed in those old wives' shcmuck these days? He constantly reminded her that they can just get married if need be, but she still adamantly refused.

"I didn't know Vera and Shiv were going out, yo," came the reply from the closet. "Goddamn it, I can't find my tie."

"You never had one," she replied automatically, then reminded herself that Reno had an outfit decked out for today. Reno happened to be one of Shiv's best friends, and so by some twist of fate, they were paired up as a bridesmaid and a groomsman. Personally, Arien thought that Reno in any kind of formalwear was strikingly hilarious. His red hair and his tattoos on his cheeks clashed terribly with whatever elegance the suit was going to have.

"Yes I do," came back the muffled reply. Arien adjusted the pale flowers in her hair, noticing – not for the first time – that next to curvaceous and attractive Vera who sported smoldering grey eyes and bright red lips and golden hair, she would look quite washed out. Her dress was a simple pink with a full-length cigarette skirt. It was a halter top with dark pink embroidery at the hem; her hands were bare, but a silver chain with a pink crystal dangling as a charm decorated her wrist. A matching necklace was around her throat. Her hair was up, with two locks, one on each side, curled around her face. A large rose quartz was sitting on her earlobes. She would have looked alright but a constant lack of sleep in addition to the bachelorette/bachelor party the night before had made her pale. It was a joint party with strippers and alcohol, and while the Turks didn't lose their control, Reno suddenly gained an avid interest in the female stripper, Rude went crazy over a game of pool, and Arien nearly passed out from laced punches. All in all, the party was rowdy.

She was sitting in front of a mirror applying make-up when Reno finally finished. Shiv, in his eternal wisdom, had decided that Rude and Reno in tuxedos were just going to be a comic relief. Instead, he opted for a regular suit, and Reno was in a black suit with a pale pink shirt and a black tie. She looked at Reno in the mirror reflection, and laughed.

"What?"

"Hello, Mr. Valentine," she snickered. "Red and black. What a bloody Valentine. Where's the chocolate for me?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," he replied. And then, he observed her with an interest. "You look, er, nice."

"You can tell me I'm flat-chested, I'm sure you know," she replied. She stood up, dusted herself off, then kissed him on the mouth.

"What the fuck! Now I have pink mouth!"

"That was my general idea," came back the reply. "Shall we get going?"

* * *

The wedding was very traditional, with flowers and bells and everything. Reno made gagging sounds right next to her, and she had half the mind to step on his foot. In her heel. However, Reno foresaw exactly what was coming, and he hopped away. He nearly crashed into Shivvalan in the process. 

"Jeez, Miller, watch out!" Shiv shouted cheerfully. "Or are you that wasted?"

"I'm always wasted," he retorted. "Where's the bride, yo?"

"There. Don't even go near her. I don't want her running off with anyone, especially you."

"You don't trust me?"

"Wipe that pout off your face, Reno. It's fucking sickening."

Reno laughed. "Ah, same old Shiv, yo," he noted. "I thought you decided to turn into a mush after deciding to get married."

"Not quite."

Arien was talking to Vera, who was still missing a glove. "Believing in superstitions?" she teased.

"Not really, but it won't hurt." The blonde smiled through the veil. Then she said, "I'm guessing that you came unarmed?"

"Of course. And I'm also a virgin." The two exploded in laughter, and the males looked at them.

"Seriously, Arien, why don't you get married? I was expecting you to wear the veil first."

"Ah, well." She shrugged. "What can I say?"

"Haven't you been living together for a while now?"

"Reno?" She waved at Reno, who was gesturing that they were going to go in. "Mm hmm."

"Well, you have to invite me to your wedding, dear. And to the christening of your first baby."

Arien laughed again. "If we ever get to that stage." She gestured to the church door. "Your hubby's waiting, Vera."

* * *

"I'm bored," Reno muttered. They were sitting in the seats beside the aisles, right up in front. Arien tried not to look worried. When Reno was bored, that meant one and only thing: trouble. 

Reno being bored was like the word trouble flashing in red neon. It was just too awful to think. She nudged him and said, "Reno, try not to cause havoc, please."

He grinned slightly, slid his hand up her half-bare back, and winked.

Arien refocused on the bride and the groom. For once, Shiv did not look like a sleazebag pimp who was trying to sell crack cocaine in the streets. He looked… normal. Vera, who was famous in the former Shinra HQ for being voluptuous with rumors of her liberal relationships flying around, looked virginal. Shiv had just placed a ring on Vera's well-manicured finger, and was now kissing her liberally.

People were cheering, and Reno whistled. She heard one word amidst the burst of voices: "porn." Giggling, she stood up with her partner and congratulated the newlyweds, who were waving and smiling like there was no wrong in the world.

The cars left one by one, all heading to the banquet hall nearby. Reno drove through the streets expertly, dodging the passers-by and other cars with an excellent handling of the steering wheel. Arien was absently looking at him, and he finally looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right. Don't play poker face with me, babe. I know you too well. Out with it."

"We're here," she said, trying to distract the persistent question.

The inside was just filling with people, and as soon as the main hall was half-filled with people voices calling for dance music darted around in a wild fury. Reno made a sick face.

"Reno, what's wrong?"

"I ain't waltzing."

Arien giggled again, imagining Reno waltzing… or perhaps even a slow minuet. "Aw, Reno."

"I ain't waltzing, yo," he said adamantly. She grinned knowingly and said, "Don't worry, I know you can't waltz."

"You bitch."

"I've been called worse."

Vera's veil was off now, and she was changed in a simpler, yet still white dress. The two were greeting everybody, but came over with Ivana and Zen when they spotted the Turks. Tseng was talking with some former Shinra official; Elena was talking with Rude. Rufus had given them all leave for today.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" Vera asked. Arien laughed again, and Reno scowled.

"What's so funny?" Zen asked curiously.

"Apparently Reno can't… ulp." Reno's hand swiftly covered her mouth. She continued giggling. She stopped laughing suddenly, and said, "Happy marriage, you four."

It looked to Ivana as if Arien's eyes were teeming with dry tears. But the next moment, she was laughing at something one of the men had said, and she lost the sight of the glimpse of the sadness in those icy blue green. But she did remember the moment when there was a hopeless despair in those blue-green eyes, the bitter, fathomless despair.


	12. 11: The Living Legend

Vincent Cameo in this one! yeey!

ODSTGirl058 - Hahaha. You aren't Elena, and you should be happy. I always remember Elena from the game as being too hyperactive and overdramatic, and Tseng and Reno going "...Elena, just shut up." She should have toned down, but still she would be hyperventilating. Heh heh.

Raspberry Polar Bear - yup, Rufus can waltz (I so wanna see that), so can Elena and so can Arien, but not Reno. Maybe Rude, yes. Sephie hasn't really made his goodbye yet, because he really is my favorite character along with Reno. Heh heh. There'll be more canon characters...

How I Am - Eh, I haven't really decided. Any ideas? (lol) I'm pretty sure Reno won't be saying "oh, that's really too bad. What's for dinner?" Though that'd be rather comical. Reno seems to be the type to act all tough and uncaring but will break down with a hard-enough hit.

NarcissisticRiceBall - Most of the conversations are snippets from actual conversations and my imaginations strung together. I really can't write dialogues just by myself, because it sounds reallt artificial. Reno and Arien aren't the lovey-dovey team. But it seems to work.

Devil-Angel - Now THAT's an idea. (evil grin) but we can't have EVERYONE fall in love with our heroine, because she isn't beautiful enough and she really has a temper, and she's not a mary-sue. But maybe I'll add it as a deleted scene. Rufus VS Reno over a girl. Haha.

Princess-Starr - So do I, because I'm bored of Reno being angsty and thinking of well... death and drinking himself into drowning and crying and cutting himself and turning himself gay. I like Reno, I want him to be happy (smile). We shall see how it turns out.

* * *

Chapter 11: The Living Legend 

It turned out that the job was a bigger shit than what she had expected. A week later, Arien was tired and more than annoyed. She had run around the world – from Costa del Sol to Junon to Mideel to Rocket Town – and no sign of the two Turks were to be found. She secretly wondered if Elena and Tseng were hiding from her. As for Reno, he was no help. He had no idea who or what had carried the two off – all he knew was that he heard gunshots, which lead nowhere. Unless she had a bullet from the gun, she could not even begin with the firearms.

On the way to Gold Saucer Area, she stopped at Mining Town. Walking around yielded no information; her last stop was the bar. She stepped into the dingiest, dirtiest place she found, retreated into a dark corner, and sat down at a table after making sure that the chair was clean enough. Lowering her sunglasses a little, she flipped her phone open, and dialed. The tone sounded, then a click. "Hey, Arie."

"Look, Reno, I don't have a fucking clue where to start."

"Told you Rufus landed you in a deep shit." Reno sounded amused. "What do you want, babe? I'm a recup, remember?"

"The word's recuperation, in case you can't pronounce it," she replied, annoyed. She was eyeing the people who were cornering her in. They were all males, poorly dressed, and looking quite hostile. They were obviously trying to corner her in without being too obvious. Bar thugs. She could reason why they targeted her; dressed richly, a female with not much muscles meant an easy target. Unless they were Turks, of course.

"Amateurs," she muttered. "Obvious, solid, glaring amateurs." She slid her hands into the slacks pockets and pulled out fingerless gloves. All the Turks had them, just in case; the knuckles had metal plates in them, making the punches very painful.

"Who's an amateur, yo?" Reno asked curiously.

"Hey, Reno, I have to go. I'll call you later."

"O…kay, yo. Just don't sleep around."

"Right back at you." She snapped the phone shut and slid it in her jacket pocket. Then, she stood up, stretched, and said, "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

The males flinched. Obviously they were counting on the element of surprise, of catching her unawares. That advantage was easily defeated. Her only problem was number. She could easily take out all of them, but one versus many had her at a slight disadvantage.

Oh well. It looked like she couldn't flee.

"Yeah, we need to chat a little, Princess," one of the thugs said.

"Can we chat outside? I'd rather not wreck the bar."

"You snotty little bitch…!" One of the thugs stepped forward, but the one in the lead stopped him. Hm. So he was the leader.

The thugs turned and walked out of the bar, one by one. She followed leisurely, her shades now up. Anonymity was the key to being a Turk; only Reno was brash and good enough to walk around with shades on his forehead, his flaming red hair everywhere. She wasn't. She stepped out the door, her heels clicking, hands behind her.

"Alright, gentlemen." She made no facial expression, her eyes invisible behind the shades. "Well?"

"We just need some gils, that's all," the leader growled. "And so you leave now leavin' everythin' behind, or..."

"Or?"

"You die."

"I'm sorry, boys. I can't leave right now. I'm on my job." She tied her hair in a ponytail, then took off her jacket, then laid it on the ground. The thugs flinched again as they saw her array of weapons; gunblades under her arms, clips belted everywhere, and a long belt of cartilages wrapped around her body. "I'll go fair. Who's first?"

The thugs darted all at once, which, to Arien's opinion, was rather a stupid idea. She just jumped, and three of them crashed into each other, full momentum. She landed ahead of them, then delivered an aerial kick to the two.

"Shit! A Turk!" One of them cried, and her mouth curved into a sneer.

"The realization was a little too late, I'm afraid," she said. "Do we want to stop the discussion? It's indeed a good lively one, won't you say?" The thug went down without a reply, as she delivered a solid punch into the abdomen. Blood trickled down his mouth. She looked around; there were still at least a dozen to go, some of them sporting knives, clubs, and a few of them ammunitions. Time to throw away fighting rules and get _Cataclysm _and _Apocalypse_ out.

"Alright. Game over." She pulled out her gunblades in one fluid motion, then pulled the trigger.

The older versions of her gunblades had shorter barrels and shorter nozzles, a typical pistol; these were new, upgraded, with more deadly machinations. Each, when in full auto mode, spat out 1200 mako-tipped rounds a minute. Of course, she did not put it in full auto; that was just a waste of bullets. So instead, she put it in sub-mode, which spat out 600 rounds per minute. She pulled on the trigger for a few seconds in one man, until the man's body looked more like a honeycomb than a human. She then stopped and said, "Who wants to be next? I have enough for everyone."

The rest fled.

"How boring," she said, replacing the firearms back into her holster. Adjusting the straps of her knives concealed up her sleeves and her slacks, she picked up the jacket, dusted it off, and put it back on.

"This really is boring," she said, and walked away.

* * *

"Yes, sir. Northern Crater is inaccessible ground." Arien listened and then said, "Roger that, sir. I'm on my way." 

Tseng and Elena were nowhere, and Arien was running out of options. There was, however, another place she needed to look - the Northern Continent.

Personally, she liked the old ruins of the Forgotten City the best. She had been there before, only once, when Reno and she were flying in a fighter jet looking for the Huge Materia. They had landed and walked around for a few hours together, saying nothing but taking comfort in each others' presence. The beauty and the serenity of the old city was marveling for her; perhaps it had helped that she and Reno were still in the early stages of relationship where romantic kisses and gentle caresses were involved. Anyways, the memories of the place were good ones, and she was fond of them.

She had trekked back to Costa del Sol to get to the Northern Continent, then flew. This time, she was alone, and she had occasional attacks of loneliness, but what could she do? She just called Reno, and took comfort in his… well, voice. Not his words. They were scalding, as usual.

She first stopped at the Bone Village, and discovered that Tseng and Elena were never there. Icicle Inn yielded similar results. She drove to the Forgotten City leisurely, reminiscing on the "old days" when Shinra was still up and running and when Reno and she were just starting to go out. The days of comfort, pampered in Shinra's glory and wealth. The forest was golden at this season here, welcoming her with soft whispers and gentle touches of the breeze. The wind toyed with her hair, just like when Reno stuck his hand in her hair and played with it. She took her shades off while she drove, and breathed in deeply. It was rare for her to breathe in the forest air; the Edge smelled of rust and salt from pollution, the old Midgar was nowhere close to a forest and it reeked of metropolitan odor, and Wutai had no forests around. She secretly wished that she was here with a certain redhead and was not on an assignment.

It was night when she stopped the car at the outskirts of the City of the Ancients, stepped out, and un-holstered _Cataclysm_; loading it with bullets and putting it in unlock, she breathed in once to calm herself. Then she went deeper into the city. The city was light blue and ivory against the dark of the night, with the bare branches playing soft music to her ears. Puddles were everywhere, with low shrubberies against the pale white trees that protected the city. It was peaceful here, quiet. She nearly lowered her guard when she saw a footprint.

A footprint?

It wasn't a regular footprint. For one thing, it was quite large. For another, it was pointed. She had never seen these before, and in an instant she was back on alert. Bending down and slowing, she quietly took out _Apocalypse_ as well. If it was a monster, it was going to be large. The footprints were clear indication of its size. Was this the thing that had taken Tseng and Elena? If so, were they still alive? Her brain had already told the answer. Probably not.

Shit.

She crept on further, stepping lightly and quietly. The wet ground made no sound, and she made it a special point to avoid the dry leaves. She bent down even lower as the trees started to become sparse, replaced by the low shrubs. Concealing herself was becoming difficult. Why couldn't she train to be a ninja being true to her heritage? She mourned the lack of education for a second, then crept forward again. She was moving the balance from one foot to the other when she saw a flash of crimson. In surprise, she accidentally brushed her sleeve against one of the branches sticking out. It seemed to make an awful noise to her.

However, the red thing made no motion, so she crept on forward until a man's voice said, "Identify yourself."

She immediately threw herself onto the wet ground, holding her breath. So it was capable of human speech. And some intelligence. This was going to complicate things a bit.

"I said, identify yourself. Or otherwise I will attack." A little more stern this time. She kept quiet. No point giving an enemy the advantage of any kind.

"I am not going to repeat this again. Identify yourself."

Silence. She ran to the nearby shrub as bullets streamed above her head. She crouched behind the shrub, switched the modes to sub, hooked her index fingers on the trigger, then fired. 600 mako-tipped bullets scattered themselves into the air, but she was not moving fast enough. One of the bullets from the opponent embedded itself into her arm. She nearly screamed in surprise.

"I have no wish to kill you. Identify yourself."

She gave up. Apparently whoever it was did not wish to kill her yet. She stood up, her face illuminated by the moonlight.

It was a man – or it looked like a man, at least. He was pale, but the moonlight was hitting her depriving her of her nightvision, and silhouetting the man, so she could not see very well. However, the reaction she received was unexpected. She heard a soft gasp, a gasp of recognition.

"Lucrecia!"

"Lucrecia?" she absently echoed, wondering what that name was doing here. Last time she checked, Professor Lucrecia Crescent was nowhere. She was legally announced dead by the Shinra Company. Unless there were other Lucrecias walking around…

"Lucrecia…"

"My name is not Lucrecia," she said crossly.

"Then who are you?"

Was it wise to disclose her name to this thing, whatever it was, when she didn't know if it wasn't hostile to her? Turks' names weren't really public, but those who knew their names were usually extremely hostile to them.

But then, what was the chance of this one knowing her name?

"Arien DeVir," she said finally.

"Of?"

"Of?" she echoed again. "What do you mean?"Of? Of what? Of which? Of whom?

"What do you belong to? You look like a Shinra."

Uh oh. So he had an idea who she was, or what group she was from. Then it was more than likely that he already knew her name from print; and her uniform was a dead giveaway to those who knew Shinra Company. She decided there was no point to excessive secrecy now. "The Turks," she replied slowly. "Administrative Research, the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department."

"Turks!" The owner of the voice sounded surprised. She felt oddly comical; here she was crouching in the mud, reciting the official name of the Turks that hardly anyone remembered. She would have laughed if the opponent was not capable of killing her.

"It's customary to identify yourself after the opponent has," she called out. She was not going to give the opponent the advantage of knowledge. Obviously this thing knew about the Turks, and she had no idea if they were in the bad light. They probably were. No matter what Heidegger did to put them in a good PR – selecting Arien and Tseng, both Wutaians, to be in the Turks was one of the moves – they were Turks, and that meant no matter what anyone did, they were always in a bad PR. She silently switched the mode to auto. She was not going down here. It was either they both die or she walks away.

"Vincent Valentine."

She nearly dropped her firearms. Whoever it was probably thought it'd be a grand joke to bring up the name of the legendary Turk in front of her. Well, whoever it was, he had it wrong.

She pulled the trigger. The enemy responded with bullets as well. Another bullet embedded itself into her other arm. Damn. Now she was injured in both arms.

Wait a minute. Who else could use firearms that well?

Certainly not her. And certainly not Tseng, who was the best with guns she had ever seen.

Her logic told her that there was a chance that this was Vincent Valentine. Besides, Reno had seen him alive and kicking before the Meteor fell. It was possible.

Her skeptic side told her to trash the logic and pull the trigger again. But the chance was, she'll have another bullet in her body if she pulled the trigger again, probably in the head.

She listened to her logic. She stood up, thankful that her uniform was dirt-resistant. She was bleeding from both her arms. And she saw…

The one and the only Vincent Valentine.

She nearly fainted.

He did not look like what she had seen in the photographs. For one thing, she knew that his eyes were definitely not supposed to be glowing red. For another, Vincent had a semi-neat haircut when he was a Turk. This man obviously did not care about his hair. He was much paler – or was it because of the lighting? – and he had a… what was it? A golden claw? as his left hand. Upon further observation, his feet were no longer humanoid but was encased in golden shoe-like thing with a very pointed tip. That explained the footprints. Clad in black with a red, tattered cape and a bandanna around his forehead, he definitely did not look like Vincent Valentine that she knew of.

But she believed him anyways. With that expert use of the firearm, she was ready to believe it.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she said earnestly, "I fired on you. I didn't know who you were."

Vincent Valentine raised his eyebrow. "Odd," he said quietly, "I've never heard a Turk apologize before."

She did not reply. She had no idea what to say.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm looking for someone," she said shortly, examining her wounds. They weren't too bad, but they hurt like crazy. Vincent looked like he was about to ask more questions, but a rustle froze both of them. They both automatically slowed their breaths down, and got their guns ready. It was almost identical moves, the Turk Reflex, as Tseng had called it.

"Keep to the trees," Vincent mouthed. She nodded, and clicked the mode to auto. They both lowered themselves to the ground, hiding behind a bush. Arien had better eyesight than Vincent, and so she could see clearly what was going on. She saw vague whisps of silver hair, a very tall man, a man with medium height, and a boy, perhaps barely older than 18, who was shorter than others. They were carrying…

Tseng and Elena.

It was impossible, but it had to be. That raven hair was a trademark of Tseng, and that flippant blonde was particular to Elena. But they definitely looked unconscious, if not dead. Not to mention that they were matted and gory with blood. Elena's hands were visible – they were missing the nails, and the fingertips were bleeding painfully. Tseng's face was bruised into a fanfare of black and blue. The uniforms – the dark uniform that Tseng had taken pride and time to take care of – were torn into tattered rags, and Elena's face had a definite burn-mark. From the looks of it, it was a third-degree; her entire side of her face was disastrously burned, and Tseng's bare arms were littered with circular burns. Elena's mouth was cut severely, and Tseng's face looked like it was repeatedly attacked with a stun gun.

"Tseng… Elena…" she mouthed, but no voice or air came out. Vincent looked at her.

"Are they who you were looking for?"

A nod was sufficient.

"Do you want to save them?" Vincent asked softly, and for some reason Arien thought that it didn't sound very uh… Turk-ish? Was that even a word? She nodded.

"Alright then. Wait back here."

"Wait…!" she mouthed, but Vincent – or pseudo-Vincent? – was already gone. She stood, not sure what to do. Or where to go. She jerked to attention when there were gunshots ringing through the serene forest; what was going on? She leaned to the left slightly and stared in amazement. Vincent was now a red cloak, and bullets were streaming everywhere in all kinds of directions. From the looks of it, cloak-Vincent was not in much pain when one of the bullets from the silver-haired boys hit him. But the longest haired one was already bleeding from the leg. Then he turned to her direction, and she stilled her breaths and hid behind a tree.

There were grunts and some muffled voices going on for a few minutes, then more gunshots. Arien was beginning to smell the acrid odor of explosives, and wondered what was going on. And then the ringing of the bullets coming out from the nozzle ceased.

"They left," said Vincent's deep voice. She holstered her gunblades and looked at the red-cloaked man, standing in front of her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Vincent just shrugged and jerked his long-maned head to where two bodies were lying as if they were in comatose. She walked over to the two, materia ready to cast healing.

Vincent watched as the Turk walked away.

"Lucrecia…" he whispered.

Only the wind replied to the soft whisper, but that was enough for him. No one and no being was supposed to hear it.


	13. 12: Turks' Problem, Rufus' Trouble

I'm done with my exams. YEEEEEY!

Sorry, short thank youDevil-Angel - We shall see. Arien has a little secret in this chapter. Heh heh. Three cookies for anyone who can guess what's wrong with her (apart from geostigma). This story's getting convoluted...

ODST girl058 - So do I, so I won't make them fight. I mean, legendary Turk against not-so-legendary? Kind of obvious who the victor is... dunno. Rufus might be able to take out Vincent, though. No? Anyways, please read on...

MAD WORLD - hahaha. Yup yup, Arie looks like Lucrecia. They're related, after all. Which will trigger even larger of a plot. Though, I always wondered why the heck Lucrecia went to some geezer who can't even raise his head from the floor.

Raspberry Polar Bear - I love Vincent. You can make him really cool and "I'm too cool for this shit" kind, or really really cute. I saw an illustration of a chibi-Vincent once, and he was adorable... (drools) and he's sexy. And he's a vampire. What more can a girl ask?

NarcissisticRiceBall - I decided to make my own explanation of how Elena and Tseng came back. I really couldn;'t see Vincent wearing a nurse's outfit and nursing Tseng and Elena back to health, even though since he might like the Turks, it's possible...

Reality - Arien isn't really an anti-sue. If you read carefully, she really isn't bad looking - in fact, Reno thought she was gorgeous. She just has a temper sometimes, and she is semi-popular with men. She's a cynic, because her personality was based on me, and I'm a cynical person. Oui?

* * *

Chapter 12 - Turks' Problems, Rufus' Troubles

Arien was kneeling down, examining her fellow Turks. She could not move them into her car and drive away; it was good enough that they were knocked out cold, waking them up and making them walk was another torture. And she was not going to be able to carry them; she was used to physical combat, but pure strength was not her forte. So, emergency treatment was due.

Vincent watched the young woman examine Tseng's wounds. Her raven hair was now bound with a piece of elastic, and she was in a Turks uniform… the same kind that he had worn so many years ago. But her face was so like Lucrecia's. It was not the same, no, but there were many similarities. The nose, the mouth…

Vincent was a type of a person who decidedly dedicated his life to one woman and one woman only, namely Lucrecia Crescent. Even after her rejection in the cave, he still loved her from the bottom of his heart, and often blamed himself for everything that had transpired. Yet, Lucrecia had forgiven him. Her son and her husband – although it was difficult for him to admit that the crazed quack was her husband – died, pretty much by his own hands. Yet Lucrecia had forgiven him, had even helped him when he was lost and angry. She had all the right to blame her woe onto him. And yet she did not.

_Lucrecia… where did we go wrong? Would we have had a different story, a happy story, if we were together?_

Watching the young woman brought pain and a small tinge of relief, both at once. Pain, because Lucrecia would have not killed like this Turk had probably done; because she reminded him of himself; because she was not Lucrecia, and never would be. But relief because, well, she looked like Lucrecia, and while her hands were used often to terminate people's lives, they were now tending to her fellows' wounds, trying to lengthen their lives.

She looked exhausted, but she was working tirelessly. Green glow of Cure flashed over them more than once, and he realized that she was curing everyone's wounds as well. He felt slightly better, for one thing, and his slash wound on his left arm was now gone. Another green sparkle, and then she sat down on the ground, her hands on her face. Her bracelet sported green and yellow orbs – materia.

"Are…" he really did not know what to say. "Are you alright now?" Arien looked up at him, and he saw that unlike Lucrecia's, her eyes were vividly blue-green.

"I will be, in a moment." She paused. "Thank you."

"Good."

"I uh…" the woman stumbled over the words, and the moonlight cast a pale light on her face, making the fatigue obvious. "Would you do me a favor?"

Vincent nodded, slowly, once.

"Elena and Tseng can't be moved tonight, and nor can I, so I was wondering if…" she made a vague gesture with her hand. "if we could stay here."

Another nod.

"Thank you."

Never in his life had he ever heard these words from a Turk's mouth this many times.

Arien had started a fire – without the aid of fire materia – and she had brought a blanket for bandaged Tseng and Elena, who were still lying comatose. She had telephoned somewhere – he could not discern to whom she was talking to – and then she sat down again. Her uniform was more than mussed now, and she seemed to try not to think about it. Turks' obsession with their uniforms used to be well-known in the building. Apparently some things never changed.

"Are you really Vincent Valentine?" she asked suddenly. Vincent, who was sitting with knees up and his arms crossed, the fire flickering in his crimson eyes, looked at her in surprise.

"I am," he replied. "Did you think I was lying?"

"No, it's just that, well, you're a legend among us. And I really didn't expect to meet a legend." She was blunt.

"I'm among the living," Vincent replied shortly. A sudden breeze blew, and the fire wavered. Two sets of raven hair blew in the same direction as well.

They sat quietly, Arien occasionally prodding the fire to keep it going. Soft breezes and the branches rustling were the only sounds that were heard.

Elena was the first one to stir. One eye opened, framed with thin golden lashes, then the other. Then both eyes blinked slowly, then the head turned. She had a pretty face, with small mouth and a delicate nose and large eyes. She looked around, then found the Turk. "Arien…?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Painful." Her voice was cracked. Arien checked the bandage, then whispered, "Don't talk too much, Elena. I'm not a physician, and what I did was an emergency treatment. I'll get you two back to the Edge as soon as possible, okay?"

"Okay." She coughed. "Tseng…?"

"He's not fine, but he will be. You had heavier injuries, but I cast Regen on both of you. Are you hungry?"

Elena shook her head no.

"Then go to sleep, if you can. We have to stay here for a day or two."

Elena nodded, then closed her eyes. Vincent watched Arien check on Tseng, then as she sat down by the fire he asked, "What, do you think, had happened?"

"Torture, I think," she replied. She sounded quiet, like she was not very used to speaking loudly. She hugged her knees. "Although they must have been pretty bad… something worse than the torture training we get."

"I've never seen those… kind of burns before," Vincent agreed.

"I thought our torture training was bad enough," she said, shuddering. Tseng's nose, which was broken and the nose cartilage shattered, was mending; she could see the hint of Tseng's former nose again. Elena was doing better as well; her facial burns were almost gone, and her nails were growing again, womanly nails that were shaped properly. Soon, they should be able to get up. Then they'd go back to the Edge, and properly hospitalized. She had already gotten a call from Rufus to return as soon as possible. Most likely, Reno had set his bedsheets on fire, Rude had fallen on his head, or Rufus was missing his unhealthy delicacies. Couldn't Shinra run without women? And if it couldn't, why were women in the Turks still the "underdogs"? She deserved more than being the cook.

The cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and she nearly jumped. She fumbled for it, then flipped it open. "Who is this?"

"You're having your blonde moment, Arie, and you ain't even Elena. Is Elena around? Cuz then the blonde might be rubbing off."

She scowled. "What is it, Reno? Bedsheets on fire?"

"Haha, funny, nah." Reno chuckled; again he reminded her of a cat. "Get Tseng and Elena and your ass back to the Edge ASAP, we had three silver-haired kids attack us in the street."

"Who got attacked?"

"Rude n' me."

She sighed. "Elena and Tseng have to be hospitalized, Reno."

"What?"

"They were tortured. By the said trio." She expected Reno to cackle, but he didn't. "They sustained pretty bad injuries. I'm doing emergency treatment, but just enough to get them back to the Edge. Then they're going straight to the hospital, no arguments. Tell Rufus that."

"Okay, okay, no need to be snippy, yo." She heard male voices in the back. "Oh, Rude asked you to come back ASAP too. He doesn't like my cooking."

"I didn't know you could cook."

"I can't." Then he was gone.

She returned the cell phone, deep in thought. Were they the same silver-haired trio who brought Tseng and Elena? Or were there many silver-haired men? Who was the leader of the group? And what did they have against the Turks?

"…rien."

She awoke from her thought, and recognized Tseng's voice. He sounded tired, but she could see that his nose had reformed. His voice was still weak, but he no longer had that deathly pallor she had seen when he was unconscious.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where are we?" he inquired. He still looked dazed a little.

"We're in the forest a little off from the City of the Ancients, sir."

"Why?"

"I found you here, sir. You really must sleep if you want to go back to the Edge sooner."

Tseng closed his eyes obediently. Arien felt tired; she nearly dozed off sitting in front of the fire. The fire was warm, and she had moved around all day.

"Sleep," Vincent said quietly. "I assume you have a long day tomorrow."

"I do," she said, hardly able to keep her head up. "I do…"

* * *

Elena, Tseng and Arien returned to the Edge three days later. Arien had thanked Vincent, who just shrugged. She smiled at him faintly – she couldn't be too long, Tseng and Elena were waiting, and said, "thank you, Vincent." 

"Go," he whispered.

"Thank you," she said again. And then, she whispered, "it's not a crime to cry once in a while, Vincent."

Then she was gone.Upon return, the three immediately marched to their bedrooms and refused to come out. Elena and Tseng were forbidden to get a bed in the hospital; Rufus said absolutely not, after hearing from their mouths that they were tortured.

"We want to keep our activities low-profile," he said. "You may recuperate in Healin, but not out of it."

Arien had other concerns. She was dead tired, and what was even worse, her times of the month had not come for at least two months now. It was not like she was an almanac type, but this still worried her. She reasoned that it was Geostigma's fault, but she was not entirely sure; she could have asked Rufus, but Rufus was a male, and thus he probably had no idea. Going to the doctor meant great risks of Reno sniffing it out, which meant that he'll notice before she wanted him to.

Rufus was getting annoyed. The silver-haired trio was bothering him. Somehow they had tracked down that Tseng and Elena were in possession of Jenova's head – or what was left of it. That was why they had assaulted the two. And now they were bugging Rufus. Not openly, but by phone calls and messages. The young president was getting tired of the annoying brats.

The Turks and Rufus were crowding the table at breakfast for the first time in few months when Rufus dropped the bomb. It was a regular breakfast scene, with eggs and toast and butter and milk and whatever one might find on a breakfast table. Rufus made it a habit to eat with his bodyguards for a reason no one really knew.

"Pass the eggs," Reno mumbled through the constant crunch of _Frosted Flakes_ in his mouth. Elena handed the egg basket over to him while she buttered the toast.

"Pepper, please." Rude reached over for the pepper and handed it to Arien, who was sitting next to Reno. Reno inhaled the pepper and sneezed loudly.

"Reno, can't you eat quietly?" Tseng asked, exasperated. "Reno, pass me the juice."

"Arien, please pass me the marmalade." Arien slid the octagonal marmalade jar toward Rufus, who caught it smoothly, unscrewed the lid, and smeared its orange contents onto the bread.

"Milk."

"Rude, you're drinking all the milk in the house," Reno complained, while he finished his cereal. "I know you need to be macho and stuff, but that doesn't mean you can drink all the milk."

"Reno, I thought you hated milk," Elena noted. "That's what you told me at the bar when Tseng flipped you over on the bar stool."

"Well, milk-loving isn't very manly…"

The table roared in laughter, and minutes later they transformed into coughs as they choked on the food. Reno looked at them as if they were strange creatures.

"What? You can't act cool and manly when you're guzzling milk, yo."

"Tseng," Rufus said calmly, "I want you to take Elena, Reno and Arien and scout around Gold Saucer and Wutai for the silver-haired trio. They're becoming quite bothersome."

The table silenced at once. Tseng's expression did not change, but Elena paled slightly. Reno stopped eating; Arien put the fork down on her plate.

"Where in Wutai, sir?" Arien asked.

"In the temple crypt," Rufus replied coolly. "I don't want you four to separate. You are to stay together."

"Yes, sir." Tseng replied.

The rest of the meal was silent. Rude was not a talkative person, and the four were two preoccupied with the coming mission to really talk. As soon as they were done, the table was cleared, plates were carried into the dishwasher. Tseng returned to his room, and Rude went out for a work-out. Rufus retreated to the office he had; the rest of the Turks were in the common lounge. But none of them looked at the recreational equipment.

"Elena."

No response was heard.

"'Laney!"

The blonde woman awoke from her reverie. "What?" she asked.

"Are you okay, yo? You keep dazing."

Elena shook her head. "I'm fine. You should care about your girlfriend, not me. Arien? Arie?"

She made no response.

"Yo, Arie!" Reno yelled in her ear. "Yo! Yoohoo! Wake up."

Arien looked at him. She was alert, and her blueish eyes showed startling alacrity. And something else.

Reno shut his mouth.

He saw fear in her eyes.


	14. 13: Golden Fun

Devil-Angel - I liked the breakfast scene too. I thought it was homey and cute. :D thanks! I watched the interview of the dudes who made FFVII:AC and they were saying that the SHM were kids in adults' body, and since Rufus acts like an responsible adult, I thought, "hmm, I bet Rufus think they're brats." Is Arien pregnant? I don't have a clue. Maybe? Don't worry, we won't have little Reno's running around.

ODST Girl058 - Vincent and Arien aren't really done yet. No, not romance, but there's gonna be more between them. Arien is seeing Vincent like an older brother, because he was a Turk. She also sees herself as a kind of a mutant, so I guess she's feeling closer to Vincent in some ways. (remember the hook that went through her hand? That's gonna play a big role too.) Reeve is going to make an entrance as well, along with Cloud.

NeSa - Arien is a wuss. (laughs) She's scared of lots of things. Geostigma, dying, pregnancy, Reno, Rufus, Tseng, her job, future... And she's also scared of Wutai crypts, but we'll get to see that in the next chapter. This chappie is a semi-filler, but the next chapter is going to be packed with action and fun stuff. And Reno freaking out for the first time in his life (probably). He gets to freak out twice! And we get to see people pass out.

RaspberryPolarBear - hahaha, Vincent's my boyfriend's favourite character of all Final Fantasies. It's not Sephiroth, and we got in a fight over who's better. Vincent is awesome, because he's quiet, a listener, superb gunman, wise, and stoic. And he still loves Lucrecia, and he looks awesome as a chibi too. Chibi Vincents are adorable! Ahem... anyways, as I said before in someone else's thanks, Arien and Vincent aren't quite done yet...

NarcissisticRiceBall - They're all connected to the ultimate climax, which is AMAZING! for me, because I tend to forget things and can't remember to wrap everything up. I'm glad you're enjoying this story, because I'm starting to feel that Reno is becoming un-Reno-ish, and that is a problem for me. Sephiroth is going to play a big role in this story personally, because Sephiroth came into my dream and told me if I did that he'd kiss me... no, kidding.

Leah - you'll hear from SHM and Sephiroth quite soon, don't worry :-P. I intend to get everyone into this story, including Reeve's mummy at one point. But it's still going to be Reno/Arien centric, with a little off-focus on Rufus, Tseng and Elena. As we'll see in this chapter! I know that the readers will be dying with a question after this chapter, and my answer is, "It's revealed in the next chapter." heh heh heh (evil laughter)

* * *

Chapter 13: Golden Fun

"Gold Saucer!" Reno yelled furiously through the speaker. Elena looked at him in an exasperated expression.

"Wutai," Tseng said firmly.

"Gold Saucer!"

"Wutai."

"Gold…" Reno shut up after Tseng gave him "the look". Tseng's "look" was only used on a certain individual, namely Reno, and only when he was driving the Turk leader crazy. Like now.

"Tell me, Reno, one good reason why we should go to Gold Saucer first," Tseng said, quietly but in a tone that informed the redhead that if he said one wrong word, Tseng would pull out his pistol and shoot him – really.

"Because I'm the one who's piloting this thing," Reno said vehemently. "And I can land this anywhere I want."

"No you can't, at this altitude you can't lan…" Reno's hand flew and hit Arien in the shoulder. Arien shut up.

"Gold Saucer," Reno said again.

"Wutai."

"Sir, I think we should go to Gold Saucer first," Elena piped up. Reno flashed a suspicious glance at his fellow blonde. Then grinned a knowing grin, and focused to the front again. Elena blushed and looked away.

"DeVir?"

"Yes, sir?" She replied, not turning back to look at her boss. "Reno, altitude at twenty thousand metres. Approaching limit in seven thousand."

"Velocity?"

"Mach 1.4. Direction northwest."

"Should wego to Gold Saucer or Wutai first?" Tseng persisted.

"Approaching Mach 1.5," she reported to the redheaded pilot, then said, "Gold Saucer, I think, sir."

"Why?"

The honest reason was because Reno and Elena were looking at her with the look that said, "don't say Wutai, or otherwise you'll be miserable for the rest of the trip". Reno alone she could handle, but Reno with a partner was beyond her abilities. They were also both Turks. But unfortunately, their "misery promised" looks didn't provide reasons for her, and Tseng was waiting for an answer, with also an identical look with Reno on his face.

"Because Gold Saucer would be a shorter search, sir." Arien really had no idea if this was true. "Wutai is a town with a considerably population even now; it will take days to search thoroughly."

Tseng seemed to be persuaded with this argument. "Gold Saucer, then."

Gold Saucer, despite its apparent decline of visitors since the Meteor incident, still seemed to be teeming with families, groups, and solitary visitors wandering around. The Turks felt that Shinra wasn't completely gone every time they came here; Gold Saucer was a Shinra owned facility, and it was still alive. Half the income they lived on came from here, according to Tseng. Tseng ordered Reno to land the VTOL somewhere inconspicuous and within a walking distance of the Gold Saucer.

"Roger," Reno said cheerfully, and maneuvered the stick. "Arien, height read-out by thousand meters."

"Roger." She switched couple of the flick switches to off, then focused on the altimeter as Reno started to descend. "Approaching nineteen thousand… eighteen thousand… seventeen thousand…"

"Too low terrain, too low terrain," said the mechanic voice of the VTOL.

"Yeah, I know, I'm going lower faster than I should, now shut the fuck up," Reno muttered.

"ten thousand, nine thousand, eight thousand, seven thousand, six…"

"Approaching ground at two meters per second," said the mechanic voice.

"five, four…"

"Okay, seatbelts on, yo," Reno chirped.

"three, two, one…"

"Ground," said the mechanic voice.

Elena had her eyes shut tightly and was trembling. She really did not trust Reno's piloting abilities of a fighterjet; in fact, there were very few things Elena trusted the redhead about. Tseng and Arien had gone through Reno's sudden urge to display acrobatic abilities before, and were able to maintain calm throughout the descent. Reno seemed disappointed that he couldn't really cartwheel the VTOL through the air, and sighed with absolute boredom as the engine died.

"Elena, come on, open your eyes," Tseng said. "We're going to go in two's-"

"-But Rufus said no separation-"

"I'll take Elena," Tseng continued ignoring Elena's interruption. His comment shut the blonde woman up. Reno snickered, and earned a kick in the leg from his partner. "Get changed, meet outside in five minutes."

Five minutes later the four were outside in the bleak terrain outside the Mining Town in autumn attire, shivering slightly. The early winter sunlight beat on the four harshly, reflected on the sand and hitting the four Turks once more. Elena was in a blue floral knee-length skirt and a white turtleneck, with white shoes on her small feet. Reno was in a white shirt with open collar and jeans; Arien, looking extremely dubious and uncomfortable, was in a long pink knit-cardigan and white slacks. And Tseng…

"Yo Tseng," Reno said finally after a long silence, "you look like you're ready to go into some tough action, yo. Should we come back after meditatin' 'bout death for a while?"

"I've never seen Tseng out of his uniform," Arien whispered to no one in particular. But it was true. Tseng, in his long double-buttoned black coat and black slacks, looked like he was a weapon more than a tourist at Gold Saucer. But then, word was that Cloud Strife casually pranced in there while carrying an enormous sword on his back, so maybe Tseng will blend in a little better.

"Reno, I'd greatly appreciate if you can dress properly for once," Tseng retorted. Reno was in an "arranged mess", as he called it, or "total lack of concern" according to Rufus. His white shirt had a large collar; he left it unbuttoned and so the collar was quite rebelliously pointing outwards. His cuffs, originally a double, were now unbuttoned and were flapping around his wrists. His shirt was untucked.

"It's my style, Tsengie-poo," Reno laughed. "I'm dressed proper."

After the short discourse on proper methods of wearing apparel, the four headed to the Gold Saucer.

"We should pose as tourists," Arien said belatedly as they walked. The sand crunched under their shoes. "Maybe couples? Two girls would be normal, but two males would look…"

"gay," Reno interjected determinedly. "And I ain't lookin' gay. I've had enough experiences with gay dudes doing muscle flexes at me in Honeybee Manor."

"So Reno and I'll take the left," Arien said, ignoring the gnawing curiosity about what Reno was doing in the men's pool at Honeybee.

"Meet in the hotel when you're finished," Tseng instructed.

"Mkay, yo," Reno replied without really listening.

"Reno," Tseng said sternly as he flashed the Shinra ID to the mog standing in front of the entrance, "although we're posing, this isn't a date, so do your job and keep your eyes and ears open…" then he shut up. "He's not listening, is he?"

"No, sir," Elena replied, eyeing Reno who was skipping off and Arien who was breaking out into a short jog to keep up with him. "Sometimes I'm glad DeVir's with him. He'd have ended up in pieces if she wasn't around to calm him down."

"Yes, sir…" Elena's phone rang and she flipped it open. It was Reno, and that made the call something not good. "What?"

"Having fun with Tsengie-kins?" His voice was dripping with dry humor.

"Reno!"

"Hey, you might actually get laid tonight. As far as I know, you haven't scored… yet." Elena blushed slightly at this comment. Why did Reno make it his business to know who was in whose bed every night? "Hey, at least I scored every time I tried. Do you need private lessons? Cause I can teach ya some tech…" the word was never finished, and Reno's pained scream filled the speaker along with Arien yelling furiously.

"Who was that?" Tseng asked as she slid her small phone in her skirt pocket. His voice wasn't the usual business-tone, but something more casual, more congenial.

"Reno, sir."

"Elena, stop calling me sir for now. We're here as tourists," Tseng reminded mildly. "And you have to speak colloquially to me."

"Yes, s… uh, Tseng," Elena mumbled. His name wasn't easy in her mouth; for her, Tseng was a hero, but not someone who was on first-name basis like Rude or Arien. Tseng smiled slightly at her clumsiness.

"Alright, Elena," he said, casually placing his hand on her shoulder, "where do you want to go?"

* * *

"Arie! Speed Square! Come on!" 

Arien shot a dirty look at him. "Reno, we aren't exactly here on a date… Yaah!" She lost her balance as he pulled her hand like an overgrown child, and stumbled a few steps. Reno caught her in time.

"That…" she said after she regained her composure, "was not nice of you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not nice. Come on, let's go."

They ran toward the Speed Square, and were waiting in line when Arien asked, "Reno, what are you going to say when Tseng asks for a report?"

"That they ain't here, duh." He leaned on the railing.

"Are you just making that up?"

"Nope." The line moved along, snaking through the gazebo.

"Then how do you know?"

"Just a hunch, yo."

Arien sighed. She knew well enough not to argue with Reno's hunches. But she also knew him well enough to think that maybe he was saying to evade the imminent task. Reno had a tendency to just feel things and then get those guesses right, which drove her crazy. She had to walk around, collect information, and think through it logically for hours in end, and Reno just sat there drinking "lemonade" which usually contained hard sugar, and then he would randomly guess something and get it right. It was not fair.

"Come on, Arie. It's a paid date. Let's have fun, yo."

She sighed again. Reno paid the GP at the booth, then climbed into the seat. He asked, "Hey Arie, what do you want?"

"Huh?"

"Your firearm."

"Erm… er, pistol." The clerk handed her a large pistol, and she looked at it with a frown. Reno was receiving a pistol, but it was definitely larger.

"Gimme that!" she said, making a grab. Reno switched the hand and raised his hand out of her reach.

"Nah uh."

"Reno! I'm a better shooter than you!"

"That's why you get a crappy one, yo."

"Look, if I get that one, we might be able to…" the sentence was never completed, as the car began to move its slow ascent. She smashed her head against the headboard.

"Ha, that's what you get…" a full blast of wind hit his face as they slid down the railing, and he nearly swallowed his tongue.

"Come on! Shoot!" Arien yelled next to him, laughing, as she repeatedly pulled the trigger.

"Come on, sniper! You missed!" Reno countered, pulling his own trigger as well. Targets exploded around them as the car whizzed on the tracks. Wind jostled their hair, and Reno spat out a strand of raven lock.

"Arie! Keep your hair to yourself!"

The response was a terrified scream and he wondered why, then realized that they were about to go downhill again. And they weren't the mild angle ones, either. This one was almost a ninety-degree drop. Without giving a moment he felt a pair of arms clutch onto his left arm. Another shriek.

After the big fall it was Reno going solo, as Arien was no longer shrieking but was quite determinedly clutching onto his arm. When the ride stopped, Reno gingerly unwound the arms from him, then said, "Hey, Arie, it's over."

"Congratulations!" The clerk cried. "Your shot was worth 5017 points, were you in SOLDIER?... so you get an umbrella for the young lady here… hey, gorgeous, what's your number?"

He shut up and quietly handed the pink frilly umbrella over as Reno aimed the pistol at his forehead. Reno laughed as the man paled, then tossed the pistol onto the ground. The two were already a few feet away when Reno finally asked, "So, what does the umbrella look like?"

"It's pink. And frilly. And probably not waterproof." Arien opened the umbrella, then raised it above her head as if it was raining. She skipped a couple of steps then asked, "How do I look?"

"Erm, smallish, yo." He hugged her shoulder as she came back, umbrella now closed. "Do you wanna go on the gondola, like the last time?"

* * *

Elena was having much happiness. Although it wasn't really a date, she was still with Tseng, and they were "supposed" to act like a couple. Which wasn't very hard for her. How long had she dreamed of this? 

They walked through the Event Square, which was quite empty, and then to the Battle Arena, which was not quite empty. Tseng did most of the talking to the men, while Elena occasionally started a conversation with the women. The only information they were able to get was that the silver-haired trio had beaten every challenge in the Battle Arena and took with them all the prizes they could get. That led to particularly nowhere. While Tseng leaned on the counter nearby and started a new conversation with a man in a clean suit, Elena trotted over to the girl behind the register. "Hey."

"Hey! I saw you walking with that guy over there. Looks kinda severe, but still a stud, isn't he?" The girl had a nice big smile; her nametag said "Trina". "He your boyfriend?"

"Um, kind of." Elena wondered when to bring up the silver-haired trio. "Hey, how long have you been working here?"

"Couple of months now. It's a loud place, don't you say?" Then she said, "oh, why don't you sit down? The guys can stand up for long, but we girls deserve seats."

"Right," Elena said, laughing. "Say, have you seen any good people?"

"In the Arena? I've never actually watched, but people keep talking about the silver-haired boys," Trina said, as she nodded goodbye to a customer. "Real handsomes, three of them. They were good too, or so I hear."

"What did they look like?" Elena asked.

"Well, the tallest has long silver-hair. I think he's the prettiest of the lot." She smiled again, then giggled. "He used some gun, I think. Not too talkative… guessing he's a quiet type. Then there's this brawny guy, who has this crazy hair!" Trina did some rapid motion with her hands around her head. "Anyway, he had this thing on his right arm… then there's this boy in teens. Fresh out of school, I'm guessing."

_Wrong,_ Elena thought, but continued the conversation. "What was the boy like?"

"Oh come now, you have a pretty boyfriend like that, be happy!" Trina giggled again, then continued, "well, he has silver hair as well, and really silky voice… kinda short, I guess, but I bet he's going to grow as tall as his brothers! Chin-length hair, I guess, and really pretty eyes."

"They're not here anymore?"

"Nope. They said something about going towards Wutai, or something… I can't remember too well." She smiled again. "Say, don't cheat on your boyfriend!"

"I won't," Elena said, then glanced at Tseng, who was waving her over. "Hey, I have to go. Bye, Trina!"

"Bye! Come again!" Trina yelled, then turned to greet another customer.

As they walked down the stairs together, Elena could not believe this was happening to her. Five years under Tseng's command. Rigorous training, all for him. Was she allowed to hope? Was she allowed to dream for this Turk Leader? Tseng was nicer than what was necessary. But then, Tseng was always nice to her. Maybe it was because she was single and she was a female; she had never seen Tseng ask Reno out for a dinner, for instance. But Elena was often asked and often went out for lunches, dinners.

"Are you tired, Elena?" Tseng was asking. She shook her head slightly then said, "No, Tseng. I'm fine."

His hand was warm on her shoulder, large and comforting. She felt close to him, close enough to feel the warmth from his body. She felt shy and yet bold at once.

"Tseng?"

"Hmm?" he looked down at her – for a Wutaian he was pretty tall, and she only reached his neck – and at that moment she loved him, from the tip of his head to the toe, from his compulsive cleaning habits that had earned the name "Miss. Foo Foo" from Reno to his workaholic schedule.

"I'm tired… a little," she added, her voice small. Tseng looked at his watch.

"It's late. Let's get to the hotel."

The walk to the hotel was short for Elena, despite the heel causing a large blister on her foot. They casually strode in the front door, where Tseng and the hotel clerk had a stare-down match; the clerk had a definitely amused face that said, "oo, another couple. Wonder what they're gonna do…"

"We need two rooms," Tseng said firmly.

"Two?"

"Two," he repeated. The clerk flipped through the book then said, "I'm sorry sir, there's only one room left. Would you mind if you share with your girlfriend? We'll give you discount."

"Uh…" Tseng looked panicked, but Elena said, "We'll take it."

"It's room 238. Second floor, to your left," the clerk said, handing Tseng a key.

* * *

Reno and Arien checked in before Tseng and Elena did. Still, they came in late; it was already ten thirty when Reno demanded a room. 

"Double, for a night," he said waspishly. The young man flipped through the book, then retrieved a key from the hook.

"Room 236, second floor to your left," he replied just as waspishly as Reno. As they stepped into the elevator, Arien could hear the clerk muttering.

The room was clean but was ominously dark without any lights. Arien flopped onto the bed tiredly and stretched; Reno kicked off his shoes and wiggled out of his shirt, throwing the shirt onto a nearby chair.

"We didn't bring any luggage, did we?" Arien asked.

"Nope."

"I'm not sleeping in slacks," Arien groaned. "It's going to get wrinkled, and I can't iron this material."

"Nobody said you have to sleep in clothes, yo," Reno grinned as he opened the curtains, watching the nightscape of Gold Saucer. "You can sleep naked, if you want."

"If I sleep naked that means I'm not going to get any sleep at all," she retorted.

"Yeah, there's also a certain chick who's not gonna get any sleep tonight…"

"What?" She sat up straight. "No, nonono, I am so sleeping tonight. We might have a long day tomorrow, and I'm not going to walk around half in stupor."

"Not talking about you, Arie," he pranced over and threw himself onto the made bed next to her. "Talkin' bout Elena. Bet she's gonna score tonight."

"Reno…" she turned an exasperated glance at him. "Keep your nose to yourself, will you?"

"Mm, sure thing," he replied, as he caressed her back. She shrieked – quiet, but a shriek nonetheless – and flopped onto the bed next to him.

"Having fun, yo?" He grinned at her.

"Not at all."

As per usual, the Turks crawled around, checking if there were any spy devices set. They both had experiences with spy cameras and recorders under the sink, under the cabinet, behind the TV, under the bed. The search yielded one recorder, with a tape in it, wound half-way. The record button was on. As Arien produced it from under the bed, Reno's eyes lit up.

"Hey, let's listen to it, yo."

"Reno, I don't think that's a good idea…"

"It's our job to know, damn it. Yo, gimme that." He made a grab, and successfully wrestled away the recorder.

"Hey!"

Click. He pressed the rewind button. The tape rewound with a hiss. After a few seconds, it clicked to a stop.

"Reno, don't…!"

Reno pressed play.

There was silence for a few moments, then talking. It seemed to be a male and a female, talking about some ride they went on that day. There was shuffling, some creaking of the bed.

Then even more creaking. And voices.

"Reno, this is either a couple having sex or agreeing to each other a lot while sleeping. I don't think it's the latter," Arien said sarcastically as she flipped on the TV.

"Shut the fuck up."

Sighs, moans and occasional gasps streamed out of the recorder. After a few minutes of the vocal symphony, Arien stood up from the chair, walked to Reno, grabbed the recorder and pressed stop.

"You wanna do it? Thinking it's our turn?"

"Reno, I said no." She lay down on the bed and threw her arms over her head.

"Mmm, no is yes," Reno teased, kissing her exposed collarbone. "Come on. Let's get to bed."


	15. 14: Elena finds love, Reno finds Beer

I just realised that today is the seventh-month anniversary of this series. Yeah, I started C'Est La Vie seven months ago today. Wow...

I think I'm also a dumbass. I didn't realise there wasa "stats" page until my boyfriend told me. To all of those who added me or my story/ies to your favorite/alert list, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Yeah. I was oblivious, but I didn't realise that a lot of people liked these stories. Some of the people are those who made me start liking Reno too! I feel so... honored? Is that the word? Anyways... I decided to get through with this series until it ends, because it looks like there are people who want to read it. Yeah. I'm really pessimistic. And I don't know if I spelled that right.

I'm going to update at a faster pace now that school is out.

Devil-Angel: The reason Arien doesn't like rollercoasters is simple: my friends and I went to amusement park the week before, and the friend sitting next to me screamed like the world was going to end. I found that very amusing. She screamed like an opera-singer. Elena and Tseng... Tseng keeps falling for girls he can't get (AKA Aeris) so I'm hoping they get hooked up.

ODST girl058: Reno's like a little kid. He's also a complicated character. I'm glad you laughed! I think humor is one of the hardest genres to write. Yeah, I pity Arien too. And she pities herself later. Elena's happy, though. She's with her fav. guy in the whole wide world, and she gets to be clingy to him. I should write a Tseng-romance with mary-sues... see how that turns out... (snickers evilly)

RaspberryPolarBear: If you read on, you'll realise that your dream had come true. Okay, maybe it wasn't your dream, but it was Elena's. I was going to have Reno barge in screaming "FIRE!" but I didn't know how to put that in with the situation, so I just had Elena fear about it. Actually, you gave me the idea about Elena walking into the foyer looking frazzled. Turks seem to be liberal about sex. Not that I'm complaining. By the way, whaaat happened to your fic? (haunts)

Seeeeee: I'm not sure if I have the right number of 'e's in your name. Anyways. I don't know if Reno's going to find out soon, because I really don't have a set outline for this story. I'm just writing as I feel. Thus the crappiness and the uncohesiveness and the incoherence of the storyline. Reno'll find out, though. Sooner or later. I'm not sure how he'll react. I'll probably have to call him and ask :-P.

NarcissisticRiceball: Did you know Narcissistic is one of my favorite words? Random thought there. I'm very hyper right now, so my responses don't make much sense. Anyways, my fear is that their communcation sounds artificial. I hate artificial conversations. It sounds cheesy. I want to make this couple not loving but a funny one, because I haven't seen much loving couples except in movies.

cookiekitten: Tseng and Elena... I think they're cute. I thought I can give Elena to Tseng (yeah, I sound sexist right there) because Reno already has a girlfriend, and Rude... well, he likes Tifa. If Reno wasn't hooked up I'd pity him so I won't be able to give Elena to Tseng, because Reno acted like he liked Elena a little in the game. Reno is adorable. Especially chibis. As far as they aren't with me.

Leah: My mom's name is Leah! Hey, coincidence. Speed Square... I never could do anything there. I just lost lots of gils in that part of the game, and then decided I wasn't going to give so much dough to Shinra Company, they had enough already. I went on a date with Yuffie though, and she was adorable. I was mean to Aeris. She was too nice for me to like her. I had fun being mean (is evil).

EternallyJinxed: I'm glad you like it, despite the differences of Reno's portrayal. I think I can see what you mean... maybe you mean something more subtle in Reno? I'm really sorry if I'm getting this wrong. I'm kind of a person who should never ever be a lit major. (What was the word... yeah, blunt, that's it.) I'm trying to get Reno to what he is like, but it's a toughie. Thanks for the criticism!

Uh, mild sexual scene. And sexual references. Beware.

* * *

Chapter 14: Elena finds love, Reno finds beer 

It was six o'clock sharp in Gold Saucer, and Arien DeVir woke up wondering why exactly was Reno's arm on her face. Then she realised that he was splayed on top of her, and that explained why she couldn't breathe throughout the night. He did have a habit of moving around, sure, but this was the worst by far.

After beating off Reno who seemed more than willing to procreate, she determinedly fell asleep ignoring Reno's whining. She had a disturbing dream where some tall figure with long hair was waving over, then a voice – whether it was a male or a female, she had no idea – telling her to "follow her destiny". Or whatever. And another voice telling her that she was an egg, but that made absolutely no sense. She made her own destiny, goddamn it, and she was not following any kind of predestination. And she was not an egg. And then she fell asleep again and had a dream about how Rennie and she were arguing over who was going to get the cake first. And then she woke up with Reno quite literally on top of her.

"Reno… move… please," she whispered as she tried to push him off. Unfortunately, he was much heavier than what he looked, and she had difficulty pushing him off.

"For… god's sake… you need to lose weight!" she fumed as she rolled Reno off of her and off the bed. He landed on the floor with a loud crash. And the impact woke him up.

"Ow! What the fuck!" he swore, rubbing his head. "Why the hell am I on the floor?"

"Because you were on top of me and you were heavy," Arien said, stretching. "Honestly, Reno, would it kill you to lose some weight?"

Reno gave her an incredulous look. Reno was underweight. Arien was underweight. The Turks were underweight, except for Rude. It was a constant joke among their colleagues. "I'm gonna get back at ya for that, yo. You bitch."

"I've been called worse expletives. I'm taking a shower." She disappeared into the bathroom. When she was out of eyeshot and earshot, Reno grinned, rubbing his bare shoulder.

"She's in for a big surprise."

* * *

Arien DeVir discovered much to her chagrin, five minutes into the shower session, that the shampoo was all gone. Completely. 

Shampoos were restocked before new guests came in. That meant…

"Reno!" She flew out of the bathroom, with a small bath towel around her torso. At least he didn't put his hair dye in there. Reno refused to admit that his fire-engine red hair was not natural all the while showing his roots, but he did have a nasty habit of putting dye in an empty shampoo bottle. She had accidentally used it once, and realised to her horror that no, she wasn't washing her hair, she was dying it. She had screamed at him for a good hour, then made him go buy a black hair-dye. She was not going to walk around with red patches on her head. Hair was a tricky subject between them. They both valued their hair beyond considerable norms.

Sopping wet, she hopped over to Reno, who was watching TV on the bed. He was not a morning person, and he looked drowsy and tired. She really hated the feeling of her wet feet on the carpet; it felt like bugs were crawling on the sole of her feet. Shaking an empty shampoo bottle under his nose and spraying water everywhere, she demanded, "Explain this to me, will you?"

"It's empty?" Reno looked at her and a nasty grin came on his face. "You look great when you're wet."

"Thank you, that's not the point." She looked annoyed. "Please get another shampoo bottle. Now."

He took a drag of cigarette, blew the smoke on her face. She made a motion with her hand like an annoyed cat, trying to fan the grey smoke out of her face. He stood up and said, "After this show, yo."

"What show?" She turned her head toward the TV, where it was broadcasting some advertisement for a new brand of baby wipes. Okay… she didn't know Reno was so interested in baby wipes.

"This show." Reno grabbed her and pulled her down. Okay, maybe not.

"Reno, shampoo. Please."

"After this…" He pulled her down even further, then kissed her. Her wet hair painted strokes of water on his bare shoulder and chest; he somehow found that a little turn-on. Not quite a turn-on, but getting there.

"Reno, shampoo. Now!"

"Later."

"Re…mffgnh," she flailed her legs as Reno stuck his tongue in her mouth. She couldn't exactly flail her arms without the bath towel coming off, and she didn't want to think about what would happen if her bath towel did come off. Reno tasted the mint of toothpaste that she used in her mouth. Reno's arms snaked around her waist.

"Reno…" this wasn't a threat. It was a plea. It was Round I KO, Reno winning all the way. "Shampoo. Please?"

The redhead was satisfied with the woman's gentle surrender. He gave her a lick on the lips then grinned and said, "Right, shampoo."

* * *

Okay, Tseng wasn't a virgin. Elena could give him that. But if a Turk was going on thirty and a virgin, he (or she) had a serious problem. Actually, if anyone was thirty and an unwillingvirgin with a regular profession, that person had a serious problem. It wasn't like Turks were regular spies who just slept with the target and retrieved information, but jobwise, they were pretty popular for some reason. Well, maybe it was the pay, or that for some reason, Rufus picked "pretty" people as Turks. Was Elena herself a virgin? No. Come on, she was twenty five! 

For some reason, what was supposed to be a light kiss turned into a heavy make-out session, then clothes magically came off by themselves – Elena could swear – then somehow, well, they were "fucking", as Reno would say. Elena felt unprofessional; she was doing this on her job. Very unprofessional. (She was also afraid that Reno might barge in. or maybe he had the place rigged up and was spying on them right now. He had nasty tendencies to do the exact thing she didn't want him to.)

But back at the Edge people were literally walking into each other, and that meant no privacy. Sure, Healin was a pretty big place, but someone was always shouting for something, most often Reno, and that was hardly a romantic setting. Well, this hotel, filled with ghosts, wasn't exactly romantic either, but it was better than the place where Reno was yelling that someone didn't buybooze for the week. Rufus had banned alcohol on most occasions, but did Reno give a care? Of course not.

She wondered why she didn't wear her favourite pair of lingerie, then realised that they were going to come off anyways.

Tseng was a gentle lover, and romantic. Elena liked that. She wondered if he was skilled because he was just experienced, or because he instinctively knew. She hoped for the latter. But she really didn't care. What she cared was that she was with the man she loved.

Tseng slammed off the alarm clock that trilled shrilly next to him. His arm was under Elena's blonde head; he opened his eyes drowsily, then realised why Elena was stark naked, next to him, her small head on his arm. He gently caressed her cheek, wondering, thinking… was this how Reno felt when he was with Arien? This gentleness, this tenderness?

Uh, Reno? Definitely not.

But he had seen the look he gave her, not the lust-filled one as Reno used to look upon women, but something more gentle, something more tender.

Well…

Elena looked small and childish. She wasn't a tall woman to begin with. With her blonde hair fanning out and her head hidden in the shadow of her arm thrown as if cradling her own head, she slept like a small girl hiding in the corner to cry. The sunlight hit her pale skin, casting shadows that danced on her face.

Tseng tried to remove his arm without disturbing Elena's sleep, and failed. Elena's eyes fluttered, then opened. Blue-green orbs gained focus. Then she extended a hand, touched his cheek with her manicured fingertip.

"Tseng…"

Tseng suddenly understood everything about Reno. Why he stayed with the Wutaian woman. Why he seemed to be ready to do anything and go anywhere for her. Why he had a tender look every time he watched her. It was painfully obvious. It was simple.

* * *

"Good morning, sir," Arien greeted as she sat down next to Elena. Reno sat next to Tseng. Elena had changed her turtleneck to a beige cardigan, and Tseng was in a black shirt instead of the menacing long coat. Reno was in a tight black shirt; Arien had a black turtleneck on. The Turks were used to wearing double-layer, just in case. But they weren't used to wearing bright colors; their uniforms were dark colors, and they felt more comfortable in black and navy. 

Tseng and Elena were eating breakfast. Elena was eating toast and eggs; a small orange and a yogurt were beside her plate. She looked like she had just found heaven's door, but fatigue peeked from her demeanour; her hair wasn't as set properly as it usually was. Tseng was eating a little more heavily; his plate had bacon and fried eggs and baked tomatoes. Reno stared at Elena for a moment, then grinned knowingly. Elena blushed. Arien poured herself some water, trying to ignore the silent innuendos that passed between Elena and Reno.

"May I take your orders?"

Reno flashed a grin at the waitress. "I'll have pancakes, fried eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes, toast, and beer."

Tseng stopped his hands and stared at the redhead. "Reno, you're piloting. No beer."

"What the fuck! I am so having beer." He looked at the waitress again and said, "I am having beer. Don't listen to this guy, okay, babe?"

"No, he is not having beer," Elena said crossly. "I am not putting my life in your hands when you're drunk."

"Or anytime, for that matter," Arien jibed. "I'll have toast, medium-done eggs, and a grapefruit." Arien often wondered if Reno was going to die very soon from all the crap he shoved into himself when she was not around. Before he moved in, his diet consisted of: booze, beer, more booze, pizza, junk food, beer, booze, and did she already mention booze? He was literally committing a diet suicide. She did not even want to know how many arteries he was going to clog up.

"Rabbit food," Reno muttered.

"And this ginger gentleman is not having beer," Tseng added without a pause.

"What?"

Tseng gave him "the look". He became silent. The waitress nodded and fled before a fight broke out over beer.

"I was gonna go light, yo! That's why I chose beer!" Reno complained loudly when the waitress was gone. The three ignored him.

"Any information?" Tseng said as he cut a slice of bacon.

"No, sir. Just that they are probably headed for Wutai."

"Same here," Elena said. "Well, I guess we're going there then. Right?"

"To the crypts, eh?" Reno snickered. "Ghosties and creepies and spidies."

"That's not the problem," Arien said, sighing in content as she received the tray from the waitress. Reno raised his eyebrow. She nodded thanks. Arien had one big fear that made everyone laugh: spiders. She had a major arachnophobia, and even with a micro-spider that was about two millimetres big she always called Reno to kill it.

"Well, okay, spiders are a problem for me, but that's not the point. That crypt hasn't been officially opened for almost two centuries now. How are we going to get in?"

"Can't we just ask the priest dude to open the goddamn thing up, yo?" Reno said as he stuffed his mouth with a sausage. Elena looked at his plate in disgust.

"That's a lot, Reno."

"I'm a growing man," Reno replied as he took a large chomp out of the toast.

"Sir, this is going to be difficult," Arien said. "We need to enter the crypts without the priest. They'll never open the crypts for us."

"How many entry points?"

"I have no idea, sir. I know one other than the front entrance from the temple grounds, but there might be more. I can find it on my laptop."

"Where is your laptop, yo?"

"In the VTOL."

"Well, that's useful," Reno commented wryly with a strong emphasis on "that's". Arien grabbed a grapefruit spoon and attacked her ruby red grapefruit while ignoring the comment.

"Where is this entrance? I've never seen it before," Tseng asked, wiping his mouth. Arien looked at him, surprised.

"You didn't know, sir? It's in the children's playgrounds, under the green elephadunk slide."

"I never played there," Tseng replied dryly.

"I'm surprised Rufus hasn't enlisted any help besides from us," Elena noted, switching the subject. Tseng's deprived childhood was a touchy topic, and the Turks generally avoided it. "It sounds like they're a little formidable."

"We tried," Reno butted in. "Rufus thought it was a brilliant idea to enlist THE Chocobo Head as his bodyguard, no less."

"You know, Reno," Arien said as she carried a piece of grapefruit into her mouth, "Cloud did save the world, why don't you call him by his proper name?"

"Because he's not here. And don't tell me you've never thought he looks like a chocobo. I swear to Shiva and Holy, I bet Cloud's grandma was bored one winter and dallied with a chocobo, yo."

"That's disgusting, Reno."

"Maybe."

"How did that go, asking Cloud, I mean?" Elena asked. Reno shrugged.

"Said he wasn't interested. He slammed the door in my face."

"Big surprise there," Tseng noted wryly while looking around to see if everybody was done.

* * *

Not everyone knew this, but Tseng Uzuki was one of the elites even in Wutai. There were classes within the continent, five to be exact: the political class, including Godo and the princess Yuffie, the priesthood, the merchants, the professional ninjas, and the regular citizens. Sure, all people in Wutai had the basics of being a ninja, like running quietly and using weapons to a certain degree, but the each expertise were left to the professionals. The faith formation of the mountains, for instance, was quite conservatively left to the priests. People were born into these classes, and it was almost impossible to break out of them. 

Each class had distinctive dress, but when they were in regular clothes it was indiscernible of what class they were from.

Except the priests, of course.

For some sheer twist of fate, Tseng Uzuki happened to be born into the class of priesthood. His father was a priest. And like all priest-borns, Tseng was tattooed a red dot on his forehead as a baby. Unfortunately for the Uzuki family, Tseng was not exactly cut out to be a priest; he happened to be a mastermind, a schemer, not a man dedicated to prayers and meditation. So when he was sixteen, he fled Wutai and his oppressive father who was trying to force the young man into a life as a priest. The rest of the story was a history among the Turks, and no one ever discussed anything about it. There was nothing to discuss.

Arien's family was from a merchant class, and so they were anonymous. But Tseng's distinctive bindi could be a problem… or an advantage.

As Reno piloted the VTOL over toward Wutai, Arien discovered that there was only one entrance, under the elephant in the children's' playground. Unfortunately for the Turks, that place was never deserted, even in the darkest hour of the night; children happened to be there twenty-four seven, no days excepted.

"We have a problem," Arien said as she closed her laptop. Behind her, Elena was adjusting her tie and Tseng was zipping up his jacket. "The only entrance other than the one in the temple is the one under the green elephant, and the kids are always there."

"They have to go to bed sometime," Elena said as she pulled on her jacket.

"Nope. Those kids are there even in midnight. We Wutaians don't sleep until we're twenty-one, figuratively speaking."

"No other exit, huh?" Reno asked as he pulled the VTOL up.

"There is an exit. There's no other entrance. The exit only opens from the inside," Arien replied. "And we can't walk around too much, Tseng's going to be a little obvious with his bindi…"

"What, yo?"

So Arien explained briefly what the bindi meant. Reno laughed after the explanation and said, "Well, what's the problem, yo?"

"What?" Elena asked. "What do you mean, what's the problem?"

"Tseng's from the priest family, right?"

"That's right," Tseng replied, rubbing his red mark self-consciously, as if rubbing it would make it go away.

"Then we can pose Tseng as some priest or something. I've seen those priests before, and they wear those long-ass Wutai robes and some hat big enough to hide an elephadunk, so have Tseng disguise himself and open the door for us. We can sneak in later."

"Reno, you're brilliant," Elena admitted grudgingly.

"Yeah, sucks to be dense, doesn't it?"

The VTOL landed quietly a little inland from the coastline, as Tseng had directed. The four stood, watching the sea attack the coast then retreat, attack, then retreat. It was peaceful, and the town of Wutai was still a few miles away. It was still before noon, and Tseng had decided to determine their courses of action before heading toward the town.

"Tell me," Arien said quietly as she played with a blade of grass in her hands, "How is it like, fighting with them?"

"The silver-haired trio?" Reno tensed slightly. He remembered clearly, the day when Rude and he got defeated, in front of Rufus, no less. Arien was not there; she was gone, out to find Tseng and Elena, and to bring them back to the Edge.

-flashback-

"I don't like lies," Kadaj said, walking slowly toward Rufus, who was draped in a white cloth to conceal his Geostigma. Ever the dramatist, Rufus was in his wheelchair again. It was all a façade, Reno knew; Rufus could walk around and do things almost as well as any normal person could. But he was in his wheelchair again, looking like a white spectre.

He could not see very well. He was on the floor, and his back hurt like hell. He could only twitch and groan. Rude was somewhere closer to the door, face down and struggling to get up. And failing. It seemed like it only took Kadaj about three minutes to take him out. And he, Renaldo Miller of the Turks, was not an easy one to go down. No sir.

But, he amended, he was taken unawares. If he was ready, he would easily take that goddamn fucking kid out.

"My mistake," Rufus admitted. "I'll be honest next time." He paused, then continued. "While they were fleeing, it seems like they dropped it from the helicopter. Ridiculous story," he added like an afterthought.

"Truly…?" Kadaj's voice was soft, but it was lethal.

"I swear it."

"Fine. Swear on this, then." Kadaj threw the ID cards smeared with blood. Rufus did not even glance at it, but Rufus knew what it was.

Tseng and Elena's Shinra ID's. Smeared with their own blood.

-End Flashback-

"Reno?" Arien was looking at him. Reno shook his head, his eyes mischievous.

"Arie, they're kids who keep their 'mother' in a box." Reno made it sound like that was explanative enough.

They walked to Wutai silently, each brooding about their own problems. Tseng had enough problems to deal with during this entire mission; Elena was reminiscing about the night before, and felt like she was in a dream. Reno was trying to figure out how to drink booze without Tseng finding out; and Arien, of course, had enough troubles on her hands. She couldn't remember if the trapdoor was under the sand under the said Elephadunk's nose or under the sand in the tunnel of Elephadunk's stomach. Their walk was quiet as the result.

As soon as they entered the town they realised that the town was abnormally quiet. They walked by the children's playgrounds, and to their dismay, they found no one there.

"Where is the entry point?" Tseng asked. Arien silently pointed to a forlorn elephadunk slide sitting in the corner. It was polka-dotted, and quite distinctively yellow.

"The exit point?"

Arien pointed to the mountains.

"I don't see any kids," Reno noted.

"That is really really weird."

"Maybe the kids don't play late in the night after the Meteor incident?" Elena spoke up. She was uncannily close to Tseng. Reno smirked again.

"Elena, it's one in the afternoon." Arien pointed out. "No, this is odd. Something's up."

And so that meant snooping. Of course, Arien could have just asked her father, but the silent rule of the Turks was not to contact anyone you didn't want to involve. Arien refused to involve her father; he was retired, she said, and she was not going to pull him back into the brutal world of espionage again. The snooping did not take long; Tseng just grabbed a newspaper, where the headline was big and large:

"Children gone missing?" Elena read out loud. "We-ell, that explains."

Tseng thought for a moment. He nodded, but to himself or someone in particular, no one knew. He just said, "We go in. Tonight."


	16. 15: Ghosties and Spidies and Babies

Reno: Hey, hey yo! Yeah, you! Why you gotta make our lives so tough?  
Arien: Reno, isn't it obvious? She hates us.  
Redhead: Yeah, I do hate you, Arien. I wanted Reno for myself, dammit! Now shuddup and go away.

Anyways... I have five more chapters written out, and boy are their lives miserable or what? Gehehehehe (seems to be happy about it)

EternallyJinxed: I agree with you there. Even in BC we don't get enough Reno, dammit! (Slams her fist on the table) But that, in a way, is good, because the writers get more leeway of portraying him. I've seen Reno as a heartless killer, lovesick fool, an annoying coworker, e.t.c. and they all seem to fit him in a way. Either way, I ain't complainin'.

Devil-Angel: Aw come on, Tseng gotta come off the stiff (excuse the pun) sometime! He can't be always obsessive-compulsive clean/workaholic, and here waltzes Elena, who's an eyecatcher. Originally I was going to hook up Elena and Reno, but I could almost hear the fans going "that's not canon..." so I decided against it.

cookiekitten: Thanks for da cookie, man! (Obviously I speak fluent ghetto-speak... I suck at it) Anyways, please keep on reading, because their situation is going to get worse... and worse... and worse... It's all Hojo's fault. Yes, the reason the sky is blue? Hojo's fault. Why Sephiroth is such a hottie? Maybe not Hojo's fault... umm...

nuu: They did! Not a very big fat clue, though. President isn't going to be too happy with the results. Oh well. Reno can care less, right? The SHM are going to play a medium role in this, but not as much Kadaj as Yazoo... or Lozoo, combining Yazoo and Loz... man, I'm smart. (ahem) I felt sorry for Yazoo, cuz he didn't get his own scene that much!

RaspberryPolarBear: LOL. I completely forgot about that scene, which also happens to be my favorite, until last chapter! It's supposed to occur when Arien is gone, out to rescue Tseng and Elena... did I remember on time? Of course not. Yeah, Elena got**_ L.A.I.D._** the night before. I bet Reno made fun of her. He seems to be the kind to know these things and make fun of it. Bastard.

ODST girl058: Reno did not find beer. Arien and the spider... we'll see. Let's hope not. Elephadunk is a Japanese name for one of the monsters in FFVII, and I was too lazy to look up the English version. I read it in a ZaxSeph doujin, and I thought it was funny, so I used it. If you want to read the doujin, please message me and I'll send it. It was hilarious.

NarcissisticRiceball: Reno. Is. A. Pervert. And that's an understatement right there. I'm amazed we don't find Reno's illegitimate sons and daughters everywhere; I expected Scarlet and Reno's kid to pop up, and then I thought I didn't even want to think about the kid. Imagine... Scarlet and Reno as your parents. OH MY GOD! He's curbing his appetite with his gf, though. Yes, with that.

* * *

Chapter 15: Ghosties and Spidies and Babies

The entrance, luckily, was in the tunnel, not under Elephie's (Arien had suddenly remembered the name of the elephadunk slide) nose. Repainted yellow, it looked even more comical than before, when it was green. It was 11:00 PM, and the Turks were trying to enter the crypts. Reno and Tseng were pulling on the trapdoor handle with all their might, but it was not budging. Finally, Reno gave up.

"That thing," he said in disgust, "is stuck." He glared at his girlfriend as if it was her fault.

"It's not my fault," Arien replied defensively as she put the crypt map away with care. "I've never been in the crypts before."

Elena, who was examining the trapdoor, stood up as she dusted off her knees. "It's glued," she announced.

"Glued?"

"Yes. The trio must have glued it down."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Reno! I'm not them."

The four sighed in exasperation. The silver-haired trio was like gnats on a hot day. They had been at this for more than an hour, and they were a little annoyed at them. Finally, Reno stretched. "I guess it's my turn, yo."

"What are you going to do?" Elena asked, suspicious.

"Don't ask Daddy Reno to tell his tricks, then it won't be a trick anymore." He whirled and wiggled his fingers. "Arie, lighter."

She pulled out a cheap lighter from her inner breast pocket and placed it in his hand. Reno acutely felt the ring on her finger, her eyes, inquiring, waiting. Her expression was serious and expectant. Adjusting the cigarette dangling from his mouth, he sat down on the sandy ground with legs crossed, then gestured the others to do the same.

"This might take a while."

He cut the rope free from the trapdoor handle, then used the army knife he produced from his slacks pocket to pick a thin twine from the rope. He laid the twine into the gap between the circular trapdoor and the ground, then left a small piece outside.

"Does anyone else have a lighter?" He asked, producing his own. It was a cheap one, costing him about five gils. Tseng produced his Zippo lighter; Elena had a cheap one like himself. He expertly pried off the top of his lighter, then emptied the liquid into the gap. It soaked the twine.

"Yup, not enough," he muttered. He removed the inner part of the Zippo from the shell, then picked out the cotton ball that was soaked in the lighter fluid. He squeezed it, and the fluid trickled down the gap, soaking the twine even more. But it was not enough to go around all the way. Returning the inner part to the outer shell then closing the lid, he tossed the lighter back to Tseng. He picked up Elena's and Arien's, pried the tops off, then poured the liquid down the gap. Now the twine was completely soaked.

"Matches," he whispered. Elena threw a book of matches at him. He caught it and lit one, then carefully transferred the small flame onto the dry part of the twine which was sticking out from the gap. The twine began to burn.

Wiping his hands on a small towel that Arien produced from her pocket, he lit another match and dropped it on the towel. The towel began to burn as well.

"God, it smells awful," Elena muttered.

"Yeah, towel, twine and glue. Great combo," he grinned as he tossed the book of matches back to Elena. She caught it, replaced it in her pocket. A phone rang; the four dived for their pockets, but Reno happened to be the winner. He flipped his phone open with a flourish and spoke into it.

"Reno here." He paused, listening, then grinned. "Hey, partner. Whassup, yo. Why are you guys still up… oh." He looked at the watch. "Yeah. They're here, yo." Reno listened again. "Yeah. Found nothing at Gold Saucer. We're in Wutai. We're gonna go into the crypts." He listened more. "Yeah. I can use your muscles just about now, yo. Too bad you ain't here." Reno's lanky frame was barely visible in the darkness. He kicked up the sand and said, "Okay, yo. I'll tell them that. Talk to ya later." He shut the small phone and slid it back into the pocket.

"Rufus's saying to hurry the fuck up," Reno informed. "Rude didn't sound too happy. Bet being stuck with the prez alone is not an easy job."

"Thank you," Arien muttered.

The small towel turned into ashes; Reno scattered the charred grey powder into the sand as the flame circled around the trapdoor. When it reached the end, it sizzled and died.

"Okay, let's try again."

Reno tied the rope on the handle once more, and then pulled. The door opened easily.

"Reno, untie the rope."

Reno obeyed, then threw the rope onto the ground. He took a deep breath and jumped in smoothly, arms raised above his head; Arien followed, then Elena. Tseng tied the rope onto the latch and pulled onto the rope while falling; the trapdoor shut with a clang. He tugged on it a little more, and the rope fell onto the floor. They stood still for a while, huddled together, as their eyes started to get used to the darkness. Nightvisions started to kick in, and Arien squinted as she started to see the surroundings in full light.

Arien, having the best vision, was decided to be in the lead. Tseng was next, then Elena, and then Reno, bringing up the rear.

"There's absolutely nothing interesting," Arien announced as she marched on.

"Hey, Arie, you have something on your head," Reno noted. "It's big, and it has long legs, and… yeah, it's a spid…"

"YARRRRRGH!" Arien screamed so loudly that Reno, who had the best hearing, winced visibly. "Ew! Oh my god, get it off get it off!"

"I was joking, yo," Reno replied mildly as Arien stopped grabbing at the top of her head and glared at him. He tried to smile innocently as she continued to glare, and silently thought that if looks could kill, he would be dead and buried by now.

"Reno, stop fooling around," Tseng ordered exasperatedly. "This is an assignment."

"Yes sirrrr."

The ball of yarn Elena had purchased earlier in the day was now marking their progress in a colorful green. Shoes scuffed up the dry sand that carpeted the crypt floor. The four marched on, each taking their easiest stance for a long march. Reno was slightly slouched, EMR on one shoulder, his other arm touching the walls. Elena and Tseng both had their guns at the ready. Arien had her gunblade pointed, finger on the trigger. Reno's hand, brushed against something. It rattled, and dropped onto the floor.

"What was that?" Reno asked, squinting.

"Oh…" Arien looked back grinning. "Be careful, there are skeletons strung about."

"Skeletons!" Reno's hand shot back to the pocket faster than light.

"They're guardians of the crypts," Tseng explained. "The royals and the priests are buried here. The skeletons are the ninjas', assigned to protect the dead from…" Tseng stopped. Arien took a step forward, then stopped as well. Elena crashed into Tseng. Reno peered over the shoulders to see what was going on.

"Weapons, out," Tseng ordered. "Now." Arien's face was no longer wearing the joking face, but had a serious expression; her teeth were clenched, and her eyes were wider.

"Sir, will it really work…?" Arien asked dubiously, unholstering her gunblades.

"Wait, what?" Reno asked.

"Nothing," Arien replied tensely.

"There is something. What?"

"Nothing. Reno, be quiet." Tseng jostled Arien aside angrily. "Let me go in front."

With that slight altercation, the four marched on. But as they got closer and closer to the main burial chamber, Tseng started to turn pale. Sweat appeared on his forehead, and it looked like he was battling something invisible. His steps faltered; his breathing became labored and choppy, as if he was running miles. Arien was faring a little better; she was grimacing as if she had a severe headache, and her steps were a little slower, but she was normal otherwise.

They turned left at the fork, then right at the next fork. Reno could not see it clearly, but he could discern a vague outline of a large door.

"It's going to be locked," Elena muttered.

Tseng managed to walk to the door alone without assistance. By the time they were a few steps away from the doors, Arien was starting to sweat as well.

"I'd fight the living any day," Arien muttered, "but not the dead." She looked feverish.

The doors were double, tall, dark and ominous through and through. By this time Tseng was ready to keel over, and Arien could not walk straight. Tseng tried to put his hand on the doorknob, but no longer could. Reno raised a curious eyebrow.

"What's wrong, yo? You two look like you saw some ghost…" he tried the door, and discovered it was locked.

"Hey, it's locked."

Tseng slumped onto the floor, leaning onto the wall. Arien leaned onto the wall as well.

"Arie? Hairpin."

It looked like she was pulling out her hairpin with great difficulty. Slowly, a hand was raised; it took a pin out of the ponytail, then slowly came down. Reno had to walk over and grasp the pin out of her hand; he felt the cold flesh, sweating and clammy. Something was wrong. Arien did not sweat with spiders; she just screamed like a girl. And it took a lot to make Tseng look like that.

He expertly jammed the hairpin into the keyhole, glad that it was a very primitive lock. With a few wiggles and the tumblers turning, the lock opened with a small snick. Reno was about to open the door when Tseng and Arien both screamed, "No!"

"What?"

"Don't open the door," Arien said through gritted teeth.

"Jeez, what the hell's wrong with you two?" Reno sneezed as the dust danced in the air.

"Can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Arien…" Tseng muttered through gritted teeth. "He doesn't… believe. He can't… feel it."

"Feel what?" Reno repeated again.

"Open the door," Tseng ordered feebly, struggling to stand up.

"Thanks," Reno replied, and opened the door. He hooked the rope dangling from the wooden frame of the door onto the door, keeping it open.

Reno did not feel it first. The two Wutaians did. As soon as the four entered the doorway, both Turks felt something infinitely malicious toward them, charging. Tseng was the first to pull on the trigger, and mako-tipped bullets scattered in the air.

"Tseng! What the hell are you doing!" Reno screamed, as all he saw was Tseng shooting at the air. However, Tseng could see quite clearly the corporeal forms of the spectral guardians charging. Elena saw a white piece of paper on one of the biers, and stuffed it in her pocket.

"Arrgh!" Reno screamed as parallel lines of scarlet were drawn on his left cheek. "What the fucking hell!" He swung around his EMR haphazardly, unable to see the enemies. Elena was backing against the wall; already she had cuts on her arms. Arien was screaming as she pulled on the trigger, and Elena saw Tseng falling to the ground like he was sinking through jelly.

"Tseng!" Elena shrieked, and the two other Turks turned away from the attackers.

"Reno! Grab Tseng and get the hell out of here!" Arien shouted. "We're gonna die here! Let's go!"

"What about the mission!" Elena shouted.

"Forget it! Arien, take rear! Elena! Take lead!"

Elena dashed out of the burial chamber; Reno grabbed Tseng, hoisted the man like a burlap bag, and sprinted. Arien ran out the door, then shot at the rope holding the door open. The door shut with a loud bang.

Elena and Reno were still running. Arien followed, acutely aware of the spectral guardians charging at her. She was not sensitive enough to see the guardians as Tseng probably did, but she could feel them like breezes. She shot randomly, hoping that the bullets will cause damage. It seemed to halt them, but not damage them enough to stop them completely.

She ran backwards clumsily, unable to watch the line on the ground and the attacking ghosts at once. She was too far gone into the maze of the crypts when she realized that she could no longer hear the footsteps of her colleagues.

"Crap," she said out loud.

The guardians advanced, looming. She felt her skin tear on her forehead. Then another rip at her forearm. Another at her back.

They were closing in.

Due to adrenaline, she was losing blood fast. Her vision was getting dimmer, slowly; another rip at her shin. This time she screamed in pain. It felt like her body was being torn into pieces. Another attack, this time at her head. She ducked, just in time.

Was she going to die here, butchered?

The spectral guardians were toying with her. She knew that. They could have finished her off in a spit second; one attack at her throat and she would be dead.

Oh god. She was losing the feeling in her feet. She was wobbling; she couldn't heal herself, she couldn't do the maneuvers that triggered the magic!

Oh god. Oh my god. Was she actually going to end here? Was this going to be her end? Butchered like meat?

She backed on step, and shrieked in pain as a large gash appeared on her back. She wasn't a big fan of pain. She could not move her arm; it felt like her muscles were torn. She could not breathe well either. She was falling, falling onto the ground. Another attack, at her face. She could do nothing. She was going to die…

"No! I did not come here to die!" she shouted, but the shout came out as a hoarse croak. But what was the use? She was going to die. One Turk against fifty spectral guardians was already a known match even before the gong rang. The Turk lost, of course.

So when she saw the next scene, she did not believe her eyes.

Something shifted from her body, like a second self. Except that it was quite distinctively silver; not the silverish hue of Sephiroth's hair, but a very metallic silver. It looked like a robot; the contours of the face was not very clear. Contours of the mouth and the nose, then eyes, vividly red, holes cut in the silver and gleaming. The body was svelte, silver with reddish cast on the metal itself. No nuts held the metal together, no screws. The feet had rotational hinges at the ankles, as did the shoulders and the elbows and the wrists. The metallic skin was smooth, no decorations.

"What the…"

The – thing? What exactly was that? – barely touched the wall, and the wall shattered.

No. It did not shatter. Shattering meant splinters everywhere. It just… dissipated. And she could see the next room.

What exactly was this thing?

The robot made an annoying gesture, as if urging her to stand up. She could barely stand, and she wearily leaned onto the robot, feeling the cold metal against her exposed skin, or what was left of it.

Another dissipation. Then another. They advanced, slowly, as Arien could not walk fast, and the spectral guardians followed, quite unwilling to challenge the newcomer that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was a slow trek, blood spilling everywhere. Her fingertips were numb.

Step, by step, by step.

The fourth dissipation was the last, as she could feel the breeze from the outside as the hole suddenly appeared. She was at the base of the mountains, and she could see the nightscape outside. Her vision was going dim again. Arien took the last step to the outside, vaguely hearing the wailing screams of the spectral guardians, as if they hit an invisible wall and could not go beyond.

The metallic thing vanished; Arien, lying on the ground, her body nearly in pieces, managed to get out her cell phone and press the number 4, the speed dial to Reno's cell.

"Arie! Where the hell are you! You're starting to piss me off! If you think this is funny…"

"I'm… at the… base of… the moun…tain," she replied feebly. She could no longer talk; the world was spinning around her, and she had to close her eyes. Then the world was spinning away from her, and she was alone, all alone, in the darkness.

"Arien! Arien!" Reno was screaming through the phone! "Arie!"

No reply.

"Arien! Goddamn it!" Reno screamed. "ARIEN!"

* * *

"Hello?" Myers picked up the phone groggily. It was two in the morning; who in the world would be calling? 

"Myers, it's Reno."

He remembered his daughter's boyfriend. Lanky creature with a mess of crimson hair and vivid aquamarine eyes who never really learned how to dress. A man – or a boy? – with a crooked smile and slender, deft fingers.

"What can I do for you, Reno? As you can see, it's quite late in the night…"

"Do you know a doctor I can trust?"

"A doctor?" Myers was fully awake now. "Is Arien alright?"

"Yes, well, no." A pause. "Actually, she's not okay. She needs a doctor as soon as possible."

"I do know one doctor; he knows Arien as well." Myers recited the address and the phone number of the doctor. "What happened…"

Click. Myers stared at the now silent telephone. Reno was gone.

* * *

The doctor was in his mid-fifties, with a kind face and glasses. Reno had to bring the old man to where Arien was; moving her was beyond him, not because he was tired, but because she was nearly in pieces. With one look, the doctor began his work of bandaging the young woman. 

"How on earth did this happen?" The doctor – his name was Nagatsuki – asked to no one in particular. "No knife can make cuts like this."

"Doc, please, no questions," Reno snapped.

"She needs to be hospitalized."

"Doc, I don't even know how the hell to move her."

"Oh, don't worry, she's knocked out." Dr. Nagatsuki assured the redhead. "Carry her princess style. She needs a clean bed and proper medical attention now."

Both Tseng and Arien were hospitalized; Arien was in the ICU. Reno stayed outside the room, sitting on the bench, waiting for news. Elena was with Tseng. Finally, a doctor – not Dr. Nagatsuki, but someone younger – came out.

"She's fine; she lost blood, but you saved her," he informed. Reno nodded. He had given blood to her without hesitation when a doctor came out and announced that she needed blood transfusion.

"I have another news," the doctor continued. "We checked her blood pressure, the works, seems perfectly fine. Except…"

"Except?"

"Did you know she was pregnant?"

Reno stopped his hand from pulling out a cell phone. "She's what?"

"She's pregnant. We checked her blood, and she's tested positive for pregnancy."

"Er…" Reno had no clue what to say. This was quite sudden; he did not really expect himself to be a father ever.

"Pregnant?" Reno repeated dumbly.

"Yes. Two months, into her third. She's about to finish her first trimester soon."

"Um…" The latter sentence was just plain gibberish to him.

"You'll be able to see her when she wakes up. She's sleeping right now," the doctor informed. Just then, the door opened and the nurses wheeled the bed to the direction of the elevator. Arien seemed to be calm and peaceful, with her hair unbound and falling about her shoulders. Her breathing was steady, the chest rising then falling like a steady beat of the metronome.

Reno tried to stand up and follow, and discovered he couldn't.

Arien, pregnant? He was going to become a father?

Impossible.

He was dazed and confused, and felt like he was in a dream.

Or was he?

He absently rubbed the tattoo on his left cheek. Then scratched his head.

Well, whatever was going to happen, he was not going to turn into Leon II. No way.


	17. 16: A Known Epiphany

Uh, hi. Between FIFA World Cup, having yet _another_ fight with my boyfriend, getting scared witlessby Sephiroth fangirls who claim to have been impregnated by the pixelated world-doomer, my mind is a mess. I'm trying, though.

I definitely do not own the song "Every You Every Me" by Placebo. My boyfriend owns the CD and I loved the song. But Placebo, if you're reading this, please give me that song.

RaspberryPolarBear - Arien's pregnant! Apparently they didn't use protection. Bad girl! At least she didn't get an STD. With that steady flow of ladies through Reno's bed as we usually assume, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a library of STD's in his body. Actually, now to come and think about it, I don't want to think about it. I have a feeling that he'll be a bf in denial. Good luck in exams!

grea - I really don't have any clue. Do Turks have maternity leaves? Does anyone know? I think it'll be awfully mean if Rufus said "No DeVir, no maternity leave, now do the famous Turk flip Vincent did when he came out of the coffin and go FETCH ME VODKA, I'm THIRSTY!" (I don't think Rufus would say it like that). Anyways, I dunno. Probably. Let's hope she does.

ODST Girl058 - I'm actually surprised Arien's fetus survived. (Is amazed, despite she's the writer). I'm not sure what you missed either, was there anything that didn't make sense? I'd offer you explanations if I knew what you were talking about... I wasn't really sane when I wrote the last chapter, as it might have been obvious. I was high on three McFlurries and the attempt to clog my arteries.

CookieKitten - probably something not good, concerning that nothing _ever_ goes right for our Miss. DeVir. Man, I feel sorry for her. She has such a miserable life. (Ignores Arien's screams demanding her to give the Turk better lives then) Heh. Anyways, what will happen next? We have two possible outcomes: A, Reno rejoicing that he's a father, B, boyfriend in denial.

NarcissisticRiceball - God forbid that it's going to be a boy. I don't even want to imagine it. Reno's probably going to teach him as much social evils as he can. I don't really see Reno as a homey guy with barbecue outside and baseball and kids going "Daddy I wanna go to the zoo" and Reno going "Okay, let's have mummy pack lunch and let's go."

SoratheDarkness - HEY! I know you from somewhere! I just can't remember where. Maybe it's my hallucination. Anyways, glad you like the fic. I hope it makes sense without going too much into _C'Est La Vie_. I hate it when an ongoing series is based so much on the previous fic so that I have to go read it, because most of the time it's about as long as Sephiroth's sword. Hope this isn't the case.

Leah - As you may have recalled, Leon's the ambivalent father of our very anti-hero hero. (Reno as a HERO! Ha) Basically, Leon loves Reno as his son, but Reno wasn't strong when he was a little kid, so daddy went a little hard on the poor kid. Reno thinks Leon hates him, and he hates Leon, and is currently vowing not to become the tyrannical father Leon was. Arien knows the truth, though.

Okay. If you're interested, the Placebo song was played in the beginning of _Cruel Intentions_. The lyrics are dramatically out of order. What's even more interesting, I see a lot of similarities between our young Sebastian Valmont and Reno. I know, it's not exactly canon to define Reno as a womanizing, booze-guzzling slob, but it's never said in FFVII that he's not, so there.

Oh, just to inform: there is a touchy subject of abortion mentioned in this chapter, as well as sexual orientation. I am not criticizing anybody with what is said in this chapter. Please understand that. I know you'll probably understand that without me saying anything, but just to make sure.

* * *

Chapter 16: A Known Epiphany 

Reno raised his hand to knock on the door, then paused. Arien was like nitroglycerin that had not been turned into dynamite. One small touch and it went boom.

He absently hummed a song as he paused, wondering if he should enter or not.

"Arien."

"Go away."

_I know I'm selfish, I'm unkind.  
Sucker love I always find,  
Someone to bruise and leave behind..._

Yes, there was the sum of the relationship right there. Initially, Reno had tried to seduce the Turk into his bed, have fun, then leave. The usual routine. He wasn't nice. He pretty much broke girls' hearts and left them behind.

_In the shape of things to come.  
Too much poison come undone._

Yeah. This poison was a little too much. Although he had succeeded in snaring Arien into his web, he made one fatal mistake; he became snared in hers as well.

_I serve my head up on the plate,  
It's only comfort, calling late..._

Yes. With this pregnancy, he indeed had his head on the plate. Reno also had a feeling that if he didn't come in, Arien would surely explode. If he did enter, she might explode.

Reno chose to take the chance to live.

"Aaa-rien." He called in a sing-song voice.

"Fuck off."

"Arie."

"Go away!" came back the sharp reply. "I'm in pain, my back was nearly torn in two, I don't know what's going on, why are there people checking on me when they say I'm perfectly fine? Just get the fuck away from me, Reno."

"Jee, sorry I asked." Reno made noises as if he was walking away. Then…

"Wait!" Arien's voice chased after him. "Actually, come in here. Please?"

Reno grinned to himself, then turned the doorknob and opened the door. The frosted glass provided the sign that she was up; the light was on, and the soft beams fell onto the floor. Arien was up; the bed was raised a little so she could sit slightly upright. Her hair was matted; she had not washed her hair for a day now. She looked like half a mummy, her arms and her body bandaged. She managed a small smile as he closed the door behind him. "How ya feelin'?"

"In pain, but that's a given." She would have shrugged, except that her shoulders were bandaged as well. "I'm sorry I'm acting a bitch, but it's really painful." She looked at him, his tired face, the bags under his eyes. He wasn't wearing his jacket, and he had to duck to enter the door. Reno wasn't tall, but the doorway was small. His face that seemed to mock the world, the chain around his neck that was linked to the matching ring on her finger, the constant red mark around his right wrist because of the wristband attached to the EMR… everything was familiar to her.

"Forget it," he said, in annoyance.

"Reno."

"Just forget it. I'm not trash, as you seem to make out."

"Reno… I'm sorry. I really am." Yeah, he believed it. Her eyes were saying that she was. Oh, she wasn't crying. But it was saying a lot. One more push.

"I'm not trash!"

"Reno, I don't go out with trashes, okay?"

"Tell me you want me."

"We've gone through this conversation." She sighed.

"Fine." He turned as if he was going.

"Wait." He stopped. It was almost a game; lovers' gambit. "Please stay with me."

"Erm…" He pretended to think for a minute. "No."

"Please?"

"You gotta hold your side of the bargain," he reminded, grinning as she was driven into the corner.

"Okay… I want you. There. Now, will you stay with me?" She did not sound sincere at all as she completed her side of the bargain.

"Fine, fine." He pulled up a chair and sat down beside the bed, taking her left hand. He caressed it gently, feeling the supple skin underneath his fingertips. "Hey, Arie, we need to talk."

"If it's about me being a bitch, I don't need to know, alright? I know I'm being a bitch to you right now, and I wish I didn't, but I can't stop myself." She spoke like she was having a war with words.

"It's not, although I can go on about it, yo." He grinned, but then his expression became serious, and Arien mentally started to calculate the chances of the break-up. Oh great. First nearly being torn into pieces, now breaking up with her boyfriend of two years – three years? – and counting. And Reno made sure that she still wanted him. Wanted him?

No. She loved him. Goddamn it. She wasn't sure she wanted to. Love him, that is.

Life just plain sucked. The world wasn't fair. And Rufus was going to be pissed at her for being injured. Who knows, she might even get laid off. For a second she wished that Sephiroth had actually gone through with his "let's smash up the world because I hate it" plan; it sounded graind, andif he went through with the plan,she wouldn't be here. Hell, no one would be here. In fact, if she could, she would have smashed up the world that instant as well. Her sister was dead, she killed her, everyone else around her were being happy getting married and having kids, and here she was, about to be announced the separation, sick, injured, and with probably no job within a few weeks.

Shall she just go die now? That might have been a little easier.

Oh wait. She couldn't even move. Her gunblades, along with her cell phone and her ID, were on the bedside table, and she couldn't even move to reach them. What she wanted to do right there and then was to howl in frustration.

Reno watched in amusement as Arien's expression turned from suspicion to anger to frustration. It was almost like looking at a kaleidoscope.

"Arie?"

She could not speak, so her eyes replied instead, urging him to continue.

"Did you know you were pregnant?"

Arien's thought process halted with an angry screech of the tires. Arien was speechless. She just stared at him.

Then it started to make sense, like pieces of a puzzle coming together to make a coherent picture. Her lack of "the time of the month" for two months wasn't really due to Geostigma. And that weird dream about how she was an egg. Well, maybe that was just a coincidence. But still.

"Looks like you had clues," Reno mused. Arien sighed. Okay, it wasn't as bad as she had expected, but she did have a constant fear of little Reno running around someday. One Reno was a handful. Two Reno's… were going to be a nightmare.

She did have the misfortune to have a little Reno running around after Hojo's experiment gone wrong. And she was _not_ willing to repeat the experience. Besides, Reno had this incomprehensible desire to massacre the children upon the planet. She never really figured out why, but that was how it went. Reno a loving father? She choked down a mirthless laughter. It was unthinkable. Hell, Reno would not even make a loving husband. They were partners as Turks. They lived together. They were lovers. The end.

She sometimes wondered what the hell she did before this life to earn herself such a guy as her partner. Probably something extremely sinful. Bad karma.

But… could she kill this infant? More than that, could she handle an abortion? And… she had to ask this question to herself, although she did not want to… could she so readily kill the child of a man she loved?

_You killed so many who were children, siblings, spouses, friends. They were loved too._

She tried to get rid of the guilty conscience. But she couldn't. She felt like she was killing the redhead himself by choosing to abort the fetus. This child was a part of Reno.

Okay, she admitted. She did want to have this kid. But…

She was a Turk, her loyalties lay in, well, Rufus. She still didn't like him, but that was where her loyalties lay.

"Well, what are we gonna do?"

"I don't kno… we?" She looked at him in surprise, her eyes opening wider. "We?"

"Yeah. We." Reno looked back at her, his aquamarine eyes puzzled. "What?"

"Well, I thought…" she stopped. "Never mind."

"Hey, it's my kid too, for good or worse," Reno admitted casually, as if they were talking about Wutaian lunch, not a new life. "Unless you've been sleeping with another dude, but knowing you, that's unlikely. Now if I was a broad…"

"Then the child would have many fathers," Arien cracked a small smile.

"Yeah. Do you wanna have this kid?" He inquired. "I mean, it's up to ya."

"I don't know," she replied honestly. "I honestly don't know. To tell you the truth, I kind of do want the child, but you can't raise a kid with 'kind of' attitude, you know? And…"

"And what, yo?"

"Do you realize that we have to be more committed to each other? We can't so readily break up with a kid."

"Yeah, well, we can think about that if the time comes." Reno shrugged nonchalantly.

"You don't really give a damn, do you?"

"I do, but it's up to you." Reno stood up, and leaned over, his upper body hovering over her head. "I'm not jumping up and down and going crazy over this, but if you wanna have this kid, go for it. We'll raise the kid together. Can't be too sure if the kid'll be a functional adult…"

"Yes, I can see where you're coming from. I don't see a functional adult in front of me."

"What the hell do you mean, yo!" Reno demanded.

"Let's see," she replied, looking abnormally serious and pensive. "Trigger-happy, insane, unstable, sporadic, yes, I call that a functional adult."

"Shut up. Anyway, if you wanna abort it, well, it's your choice. But…"

"But?"

"Never mind, yo," said Reno. Arien hid a smile. "Hey, Arie?"

"Yep?"

"Have you ever worn a wedding dress?"

She looked at him strangely. "A wedding dress?" she repeated dumbly. "Of course not. Why?"

Reno shrugged, then cackled. "Nothing, babe. Nothing."

* * *

"So… her stand awoke," said the figure, his tone interested. 

"Yeah. Pretty destructive too," nodded the other. "It's fast, but it's not too strong."

"I thought you said it was destructive."

"Yeah, but it's not physically strong."

"What are… its abilities?"

"Looks like evaporation of some sort. She only did it on a hunk of rock, though, so dunno if it works on anything else."

"Either way, she'll come looking for us," the youth said, amused. "Buccierati, Narancia, and Abbachio are gone, it's only three of us from the original team, right, Fugo? But I guess we can use a new addition. What's the name?"

"Hers? DeVir, I think."

"No, the stand."

"I have no idea. She doesn't know what it exactly is, so she hasn't named it yet."

"I see…" the youth smiled in the darkness. "This is going to be interesting."

* * *

Sometimes, Arien thanked for the mako treatment she received. It gave her enough problems, such as giving her nightvision, turning her eyes freakish blue-green, but like a double-edged blade, it had merits as well. It made her – or anyone, for that matter – stronger, faster, with more stamina and faster healing. Within two days, the wounds had mended, and only thin lines of red crust of dry blood were left over her body, which would heal naturally. She wasn't in her prime condition, but she was good to go. 

The weird robot thing had not shown itself since that night, and Arien was half-guessing that she had a dream. But a gnawing knowledge, that she had seen similar robots move at their masters' will in Costa del Sol, bit her doubt in the night.

"Arie," Reno called, staring at her. She woke up from her daydream; the spare set of uniform rubbed her on her shoulder, and she winced as she pulled on the unfamiliar jacket. But she felt more comfortable in her uniform.

"Uh, right. Out." She flashed a grin at him. She holstered her gunblades, pocketed the cell phone, put on her watch. The Turks uniform had as many pockets as the uniform could fit; ropes, matches, basic survival kits were hidden around their bodies. She felt the familiar weight of these things, felt that she was back to who she was. She slid her nylon-clad feet into her shoes, then stretched. She had washed her hair; it was brushed and put up in a bun.

Reno watched her, a little tired. He had stayed with her throughout the nights, and he had not slept well. The stupid chair was not comfortable, and the weird carving on the back dug into his skull every time he wanted to sleep. Well, Turks did not sleep well as a rule, and he was used to it. Besides, they were going back, bearing one message the trio had left, whatever it was. The four were too busy taking care of the injured (for Reno and Elena) and trying to heal as soon as possible to take a look at it properly.

"Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything." He felt a light kiss on his mouth.

"You owe me big, yeah," he nodded.

"Okay, okay," she replied. "Hello, Elena," she greeted the woman waiting outside the door. "Thank you for waiting, sir."

Tseng nodded back. "Ready to go?"

The three nodded.

"Alright. Homebound."

The flight back in the VTOL was amazingly short. Unlike the previous flight when Reno and Arien were flying back to Midgar, they did not get attacked, and no one had to scream May Day.

The piece of paper Elena had found was about as informative as Cloud when he was on mako intoxication. It just said, in a scraggly, boyish handwriting, "REUNION". Rufus had heard all four's stories – and Arien didn't like it one bit that by her turn, who was the last, Rufus' expression was about as dark as midnight – Rufus called Tseng in once again.

"Oh great, now it's my ass," Tseng grumbled uncharacteristically, and stepped into Rufus' study. Rude, Elena, Reno and Arien looked at each other.

They nodded in silent agreement, and fled the room before they heard Rufus' soft voice dripping with venom beat on Tseng. Evading trouble was one part of Turks' profession, which became useful often. Like now.

* * *

"Man, Tseng can be a little creepy and shit, with his glare, but Rufus is one dude I am not gonna cross," Reno declared as the four drove away for "fresh air". Elena left a note on the table, which gave absolutely no clue as to where they were going. It just said, which Elena wrote under Reno's dictation, "going out for air. Be back soon. Turks". They did not really care if neither Rufus nor Tseng knew where they were. Going against the rules, the four had left their job cell phones under the kitchen sink, because, as Reno said, "Tseng or Rufus wouldn't dirty themselves to look under there". Elena and Reno had their "personal" cell phones in their pockets. 

Reno was driving; Rude was in the passenger seat, his sunglasses perched on the top of his nose. Reno tossed the phone over to the back seat. "Ei, one of you, call someone whose we can crash at, yo. I ain't going back with Rufus feeling bitchy."

Elena picked up the phone and dialed. She listened, exchanged few words, then shut the phone. "Shiv says we can crash at his," she reported. "But only two people max."

"Yeah, well, we have four." Reno pointed out without looking back as he maneuvered through the streets. "Hey Arie, call Zen."

Arien obediently picked the phone up and dialed. After a few rings, Zen's familiar voice picked up. "Zen Flescher."

"Hey Zen."

"Arien! How are you?" Zen sounded jovial, as usual.

"Perfectly fine. Hey, we need a place to crash at."

"What happened?"

"Please don't ask questions. Sensitive matter. Anyway, can we?"

"Sure. Two max, though. No more than that."

"Eh… okay." She shut the phone without saying goodbye, then realized she had not said farewell after she hang up. She felt stupid. Dropping the phone onto Reno's thighs, Arien reported, "Zen can take two max."

"We have a problem," Elena observed.

"No, we don't. Rude and you, 'Laney, can go to Shiv's, and I'll just grab Arie and hit Zen's. Arie's Zen's wife's best friend, and, well, I can crash anywhere."

"But…"

"Would you rather be with me, 'Laney? As much as that attention is a turn-on…"

"NO," Elena replied vehemently.

"Right. And if Rude and I crash somewhere, we'd look like two gay people running away to hide… our gayness."

"What is up with you and your homophobia?" Arien asked exasperatedly.

"I ain't a homophobe. I just don't wanna lose women by making them think I'm gay, that's all."

"Didn't you know?" Elena laughed. "Even after you started going out, the entire department downstairs still firmly believed that you were in a secret relationship with Rude. Or Rufus, according one theory."

"What the fuck!" Reno slammed on the brakes as he nearly ran over a small child. He turned menacingly at the blonde woman. "They what?"

"They thought you had three relationships, I believe. With Rude, Rufus, and well, Arien."

"What the…"

"Did you?" Arien asked, her eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Arie, I don't run bi. I like women. You know that."

"The entire building knew that you like women," Arien retorted. "And by gods, the entire Midgar knew that too. The problem is, we don't know if you happen to like men…"

"I'm gonna rip your head off if you say another word."

"Okay, okay." Elena and Arien burst into laughter.

Reno dropped off Elena and Rude at Shiv's, he drove recklessly to Zen's. He parked the car haphazardly in the chaos called the parking lot, which were filled with fiberglass cars. Apparently that was the new style.

"That can't be safe," Arien observed as they walked to get to Shiv's apartment.

"And why the hell do they park in circles? What happens if you get stuck in the middle?"

"Woe to you."

"That really sucks."

As soon as Reno rang the buzzer on the main floor lobby, Zen's voice answered. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think it is?" Arien asked back.

"Oh, hey guys." The door buzzed, the lock unlocking itself.Reno opened the door.

The interior of the apartment was clean, pristine, and white. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either; the elevator was probably for about ten people max. They got off at the fourth floor, and rang a doorbell to the left.

Ivana's silver lock peeked out, then her entire face. "Oh, hey, you two," she greeted happily. "Come in. What happened?"

"Long story," the woman replied as the two stepped in. They took off their shoes, reveling in the soft carpeting. Healin had wooden floors.

"We have time."

The three sat down around a wooden coffee table. "To make the long story really really short," Arien explained, "we went on a mission, didn't get expected results, Rufus gets pissed, he grills Tseng, we ran away."

"Aren't you going to get in trouble?" Ivana asked worriedly.

"Let's hope not, one ass grilled is one grilled ass too many," Reno piped up. The women had a mental image of a rear end getting grilled at Reno's nasty tone, and winced. Looking at the pained expressions unfolding around him, Reno grinned and added, "And of course, no one wants to eat grilled asses."

Arien kicked him under the table. Zen, who was in the kitchen, eyed Reno's brash discourses with interest. Reno was still his hero, but now Renaldo Miller wasn't just this name whispered in the darkness. Here he was, the redhead, looking bored. He was live and was blood and flesh, not this image in his mind.

As the saying went, _Cross a Turk, Cross the Line, never come back._ The saying always went with the other one, _Once a Turk, always a Turk_. Zen couldn't really believe it. They were so… ordinary. Okay, Reno wasn't ordinary by normal standards, but he really didn't look like an assassin. Even with their navy-blue suits on. Normally, assassins didn't sprawl on the sofa with shirt untucked, tie quite missing, jacket crumpled on the floor.

Arien watched Zen watch Reno, and sighed. Zen knew nothing. Ivana knew nothing. She knew damn well. She knew that at some point in his career, Reno was forced to kill a coworker; it was a baptism all Turks went through. She had to do it too, and later learned that the poor woman she had murdered was innocent of all crimes she was charged with. After knowing this (she riffled through the shoulderbag poor Min was carrying) she decided to dump her head in a bucket, go turn the gas on, and get knocked out. Reno had called in for a mission, realized that his subordinate wasn't picking up the phone, promptly came upstairs and screamed through the door until he realized that Arien wasn't responsive. He picked the lock, and found the woman not breathing on the floor. The rest was… silenced. She was saved, and when she woke up she swore to kill the damn physician for reviving her, then realized that was just another innocent added to the blood list that didn't need to be there. She stayed her hand and decided to scream at Reno instead, who pretended to listen while looking around for something to eat. Rude had to do it, too, although she never heard the tale. She remembered when Elena had to do it; she didn't come into work for almost a month. Nobody said anything.It all hit them like tidal waved, the heaviness of life and the guilt that followed them like a sad puppy. Did they get counseling? Nope. The day each came back, or so she surmised, they were sent onto another mission. They sold their souls for a high price, but Arien sometimes doubted it was high enough.

Testing loyalty. Bullshit. Shinra just liked to toy with people's minds. But they were Shinra's slaves, body and soul. Hell, her soul was already soaked in blood. Reno's was probably worse. Arien was just glad that Old Shinra had died before their relationship got somewhere substantial. No doubt that the old guy would have had one of them killed. Two assassins living under one roof was double-risk. Rufus, on the other hand, had both of them under surveillance twenty-four seven. While that was a little disturbing, it was better than being sent to kill each other.

"Here, Arien, tea," Zen handed her a cup. She took a smell of the fragrant tea, and felt something she didn't really expect. Nausea crept up to her chest, and she gagged.

"Jeez, Arie, that's polite," Reno commented.

"Arien, are you sick?"

"No… wow, your faces are swimming… Reno, you look so weird…" She felt the world was spinning again, like she was drunk. She tried to focus on the magazine lettering that was on the floor, but the letters were spinning too. What was going on?

"Wow…" she felt sick. "Reno, your face is twisted…"

"Reno."

"Yeah?"

"Is Arien sick?"

"Well…" Reno paused for a moment, wondering if she should spill the news. Well, Ivana was pregnant, wasn't she? They can be pregger buddies. Or whatever. "Arien… ah, shit."

"Reno, if this is emergency, we have to get her to the hospital now."

"Okay, fine, I don't know if she's sick. She's pregnant."

Ivana stopped her hand from trying to prop up her friend.

"She's what?"

"She's pregnant. With my kid."

"Your kid."

"Yeah, my kid. It's surprising, ain't it? I mean, normally people don't get pregnant from the fucking they do," he replied sarcastically.

"Arien, are you alright?" Ivana asked as she supported the woman with a hand on the back. Arien coughed, and accepted a glass of water with trepidation on her face.

"Arien, it won't hurt you. Trust me, I'm going through the same thing," Ivana assured.

"Thanks." She glared at Reno. "God, I hate you. You're fine and dandy while I'm puking. I should have been born a guy."

"Arie, don't attack Reno," Ivana soothed. "Do you want to lie down? That helps."

"Sure. Whatever that won't make me puke." Reno vacated his seat and helped his girlfriend lie down, a little more carefully than usual. Reno sat down on the carpeted floor, cross-legged. Ivana sat down in the love seat next to Zen.

"So, how many months?"

"Two. Into three," the redhead replied, holding Arien's hand.

"That's a little late for the sickness," Ivana noted. "When's the big day?"

"What big day?"

"Aren't you guys going to settle down together?" Zen asked.

Reno was taken aback. "You mean, get married and shit?"

"No Reno, he means when are you going to sit down on your rear end and stop breathing," came back the sharp retort from the sofa.

"Shut up."

"Are you two getting married?" Ivana persisted.

Silence.

"I'll take that as a 'we've never considered that option'," Ivana said to no one in particular.

"You have that part right, yeah."

"Why don't you think about it?" Ivana yanked Zen's hand and stood up. "We'll leave you two alone for a while."


	18. 17: The Future and the Past

GRAWR! Late update, because I suddenly discovered I wouldn't know how people propose to each other. So um, yeah.

ITALY WON IN FIFA! OH MY GOD! (ahem, I'm done)

CookieKitten - Hahaha. I can so imagine Reno going "It ain't my kid, yo! Ya hear! Not my kid!" and Arien going "But you're the only guy I sleep with! What happened then, non-sexual conception?". That'll be funny, and I think I'll write a story about it at a later date, just to be stupid. I bet Reno has a host of bastards trailing him, though... I mean, he was quite active in Midgar...

Leah - Leon II... lol. Reno's kid will be a terrible kid, I must say, because his dad will be teaching everything bad conceivable upon earth to the innocent child from the early age. "Okay, -insert name here-, this is how you pickpocket." "Okay Dad!" "Reno! What did I tell you about teaching -insert name here- those things!" hahaha... good times, good times. The kid'll be really pretty, though.

Sora the Darkness - I probably know you from myspace... or something. Yep. I did write a Sephiroth fanfic but it's absolutely stupid. Oh well, it's a humor. I was thinking about making Arien have the kid, and then the kid (girl) would have a name like Christina Florence Miller (wow), and then being a total slut, but that won't work. So I threw away the idea. I think their kid will b a male.

Insanity - Thank you so much! I try. I think this story makes more sense reading C'Est La Vie, but I just read through it (and trying very hard not to giggle in the process... I hate reading my own stuff) and it looks like it might make sense standing solo. Dunno. There'll be a prequel to C'Est La Vie and a sequel to this coming up. I actually started writing the sequel! Yeey! So, please read on.

ODST girl058 - When two Turks are together... T.R.O.U.B.L.E. I saw some fanfic before I started writing that involved Elena and Reno or Reno and an OC and their life was just... perfect. And any tragedy that came wasn't from themselves, it was something like Hojo dropping manure on Reno's head. Wow! Such a travesty! Some arguments spices relationships up. I do not condone a lot, though.

SilverSanctum92 - I LOVE that song. It's the very definition of relationship (in my case, at least). And Reno's as well, because Reno tried to get Arien into bed then throw her away, but that didn't really happen. Smart girl! That song is my ringtone now, my alarm clock, on my mp3 player... god, I love Placebo. That and Franz Ferdinand... haha. Reno's probably regretting trying to get her.

NarcissisticRiceBall - I was wondering where you were! Natural relationships are good, because it's very hard to depict a natural one... at least for me. Most of the fanfics out there are either tragic or totally lovey-dovey, to such an extent that you want to blush and click the window out. And those smuts are really embarrassing. I made the family semi-normal... taking the middle!

* * *

Chapter 17: The Future and the Past

"Okay, so. Marriage."

Arien gave him a steady glare. "Yes. Marriage."

"Er…"

"Personally, I'm a Turk, and I don't want to get married. We're already living together, I don't see the reason to legalize it."

"I don't wanna be tied down too much," Reno offered truthfully.

"Yeah, sure. We'll talk this later." Arien stood up. "Hey, wanna go for a walk? That's what we're here for, isn't it?"

"Whatever, yo."

So the four started off, two in Turks suit and two others in regular clothes. On the way around the city they knocked on Shiv's door, adding Shivvalan, his wife, Elena and Rude. They were walking, talking nonchalantly about the old days through an abandoned alley.

"Palmer's space division was like a pocket full of money," Shivvalan grinned. "I always charged whatever I wanted to Palmer's division."

"So that's why Palmer's space schmuck was taking so much budget!" Zen cried, surprised.

"Yeah. I remember I ordered five male strippers for Rufus when he told me to go be 'more like Tseng'… I charged it on Palmer, heh." Reno grinned. "Arien didn't do it, though. She was a nice, rule-following Turk."

"That's an oxymoron."

"Exactly…" Arien just had enough time to turn her head and register danger as the large windowpane shattered behind Reno. Reno instinctively ducked and took shelter in a nearby wall as a man appeared through the broken window.

"Aw shit," Reno muttered.

Ivana and Zen tensed, and Zen pulled out a pistol. Arien, now alert and her gunblades out, whirled, recognized the two. Reno was pulling his EMR out.

"Zen, Shiv, go into that corner-" she pointed to a dingy corner about a yard away – "and stick to that corner. Take your wives with you. Don't move," Arien ordered coldly.

"But…"

"Ivy, now!" She turned toward Zen. "Take your pistol and your wife and try not to scream. It's not going to be a Costa del Sol beach party in here. It's going to be blood and gore."

"Uh, um, sure," he muttered, seeing the fighting stances of the two Turks. "Come on, Ivy," he said, as he supported his half-fainting wife to the corner. As soon as the four retreated, two more intruders appeared.

"What is this? Asshole Day?" Arien groaned. "Okay, gents, what do you want?"

The leader – the first one who came in – merely raised his machine gun. But before he could pull the trigger, Reno ducked and ran into the man, and punched up the machine gun out of the man's hands.

"Two more coming in," Elena pointed out.

"Great. Five to four. Great odds. Where's Tseng when you need him?"

"That's Tseng," Reno pointed out as he elbowed a man in the nose. Arien launched a kick into another while pulling on her trigger. She shot the man through the head.

"Two more incoming," Elena reported again as she expertly punched one of them in the stomach.

"Aargh! No, no you don't," Arien cried as the man she shot fell face forward toward her. "God knows what Rufus will say if I came back with blood on my uniform."

Rude delivered a kick in the groin, a punch in the abdomen and headed the same man in the head. "Ouch, Rudy," Reno chirped as he whacked his own victim with a fully charged EMR. It left a sizzling mark and a very distinctive odor of burned flesh. Elena made a face as she drove her knee into another's groin, and shot him in the face.

"Shit!" Arien cried as a man about the size of Rude smashed her hand against the wall. _Cataclysm_ fell onto the ground, followed by _Apocalypse_. She checked if there was any help coming along, and registered no. Elena was tackling another, Rude was decidedly smashing another's nose, and Reno seemed to be having fun burning a poor man into a crispy roast. She executed the finger movements that slid down the knives on her arms down into her hands from the sheaths. Her fingers grasped the blades with a practiced efficiency. Turk maneuvers, Reno called it. They all had knives concealed around their bodies as a last resort.

She jerked her knee upward, catching the man in the abdomen. The man reeled; she slashed against the face with a knife, while driving her left knife into the temple. Blood spurted out, covering her hands.

By the time she managed to kick off the slumping man off herself, the others were finished. "Are we done?" Arien asked.

"Yeap."

"Okay. Ivy, guys! We're done."

The females peeked from their husbands' backs. Ivana shrieked; Zen had to muffle her. Meanwhile, Arien was cleaning her hands with a dead man's jacket. "Ew," she said, "this is disgusting."

"You're turning into Tseng," Reno whined.

Later, when they were walking back, Ivana got closer to Arien. She asked if Reno and she were going to get married; she asked gently, without being too trespassing. However, Arien laughed hysterically. "Can you really ask that?" she replied, still laughing. It seemed a hysterical, raucous laugh, not the kind of laughter one might voice when something was truly funny. "With lives like these, marriages aren't on our priority list, Ivy."

* * *

Arien didn't want to get married. Reno didn't want to be tied down. 

Mutual agreement occurred.

It wasn't like the marriage would make a significant difference. All it meant was that Arien DeVir would turn into Arien Miller, and she would have to remember to sign her new name from now on. When it came to legal security, it was next to none. Like the Turks had legal security anyways. They were above – or out – of the legal junk. Reno could kill anyone easily and get away with it in the broad daylight. Yes, even after Shinra Company had collapsed.

Rude and Elena returned to Healin. Arien decided that it was better for them to just stay in their own house. No Rufus, no Tseng, less stress. Arien couldn't cook – the smell made her nauseous – so sometimes they ate out. But more often, she was living on a botanical diet.

"Hey, Re," she asked one night as she picked on the cherries she was carrying into her mouth steadily, "can I ask you a question?"

"Fyure." Reno swallowed, then tried again. "Sure."

"When you left home, what did you do to live?" She waited for the explosion. It was a touchy subject. Really touchy subject.

But Reno didn't explode into shouting fits. Instead, he just looked at her gently, his aquamarine eyes serious and… understanding? Was that it?

"I never told ya the story, did I?"

Another cherry disappeared into Arien's mouth, and the head turned left, then right.

"When I left," Reno said thoughtfully, "I lived in the slums. The living was… slum standards bad. I begged off the streets for coupla months. Then I turned into stealing."

Arien nodded.

"I killed the first guy when I was… how old was I? Fifteen, sixteen, somewhere around that. I didn't know people died that easily. I gave a lucky kick in the neck and the next thing I knew, he wasn't breathing." He drank the booze from the bottle and coughed slightly as the liquid felt like it was burning his throat.

"Some dudes wanted me to prostitute… said no way." Small smile crept to Arien's lips. "Lived off the streets, pretty much. Joined the gang and shit. First time I met Tseng, I tried to rob him. He flipped me over and tried to break my neck, but I ran away."

Another cherry.

"Tseng found me a few weeks later, asked me if I wanted to join the Turks. Didn't know what the fuck Turks were, but heard the amount of the pay and said yes. I've been a Turk since then."

Arien smiled. It wasn't dazzling, it wasn't blinding. But Reno loved it. It transformed her face into something that he loved, something gentle and beautiful. "I'm glad you tried to rob Tseng blind that day," she said, as she stood up from the chair, walked over, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Why, yo? I got flipped over."

"Because if you didn't do that, I would have never met you." She gently kissed his cheek. "Despite all the things that has happened to us, I'm still glad I got this job. I got scarred. I cried. I killed innocents. I murdered. I broke people's hearts." She kissed him on the left cheek again, right where the red tattoo sat. "But I met you, and that's a blessing."

The next day was the shopping day, which meant that Arien shopped and Reno carried. It was the way it worked. Reno didn't give a hoot whether he shoved in his mouth a pepperoni or a bologna; Arien cared. She wasn't a health freak, but she did disapprove all the "good stuff" Reno tried to shove into himself.

They had barely begun their quest when they nearly crashed into a face they knew well. Tifa Lockheart. She still looked stunning, although her clothes were now black instead of the white shirt and shorts. Her hair was shorter as well. Arien was inside a shop, scrutinizing vegetables.

"You!"

"Hey, I have a name, gorgeous." Reno winked. "Long time no see. How are ya?"

"G…good." Tifa stammered, eying Reno dangerously. She did receive calls from him to relay onto Cloud, but it had been a while since they faced each other.

"Nice to hear that. Have you and the Chocobo Head tied the knot?"

Tifa's expression darkened as Reno casually referred to Cloud as Chocobo Head. Well, Reno wasn't the one known for politeness. "No. Sod off."

"What an asshole."

"What!"

"Not you, Teef. Spikehead." He eyed Arien, who was waving him over. "Anyways, gotta get going, my jailer's gonna bitch at me. Toodles." Reno waltzed off. Tifa eyed the woman who was waving over suspiciously. Her raven hair was down, framing her egg-shaped face. She had long, slanted eyes the color of intense blue-green, and a small mouth. Her nose was straight. From the way she carried herself, she was probably one of the Intelligence members, or even a Turk. But Reno was listening to her, and he never listened to anyone. And she saw that the woman was looking at Reno just the way she looked at Cloud. The gentle way, the way it was focused all on him, like there was nothing else in the world.

Tifa sighed. Even those scoundrels had each other. Where was Cloud?

What did that smile mean, that gentle smile that seemed to say that everything was going to be alright?

Tifa shook her head and kept on walking, but could feel something hot behind her eyes.

* * *

A few days later, the two were back at Healin. The entire crew was watching a 60 inch plasma TV on the wall of the commons room, eating noodles. Arien was having a good day; she could eat! 

Reno leaned forward, carrying the noodle into his mouth with the disposable chopsticks. It was a take-out, because they all agreed that they wanted a variety of cooking once in a while, and Arien refused to cook. Rude was already finished and was drinking water; Rufus had left half the plate alone. Tseng was eating slowly, and Elena was eating the rice. Arien was eating udon noodle soup, her own disposable chopsticks held in her right hand. They were silent as the video whirred on. It was a video of new fighting techniques that Rude had found in some video store. Sure, it was "cheesy and shitty and stuff" (Reno was never praised for his wide vocabulary), but they could note some things, Tseng said, so now they were watching. Unfortunately, Reno was watching it as some kung-fu or wrestling match.

"Oh… oh damn! His balls got buste-ed! That's gotta hurt, yo," Reno commented while using his chopsticks as pointers (noodle still held in between) and swished it left and right like a very short baton. "Ouch! His nuts got cra-acked! He's now sterile, too bad. Guess we won't have his kids running around."

"Reno," Elena said tiredly, looking at the redheaded neighbor who was yelling and shouting antics as he slurped the noodle, "can't you just sit still and watch this quietly?"

"Why, yo? This is so much fun. Thanks, bud." He threw a grin at Rude, who remained response-less. He then went back to commenting. "A-and the Mighty Macho takes off from the ring and smashes his foot into the Stick's crotch! God, I'm so glad I'm not him."

Arien wondered if Reno was hallucinating. She didn't see anyone getting kicked in the groin… then realized that Reno was just doing it for the fun of it, and yes, he was making it up, including the weird names like 'Mighty Macho'. Sitting next to Tseng and Reno, she was calmly eating her meal, when Reno's extended hand made contact with the bowl and sent the content flying over… to the two Wutaians. Unfortunately, the soup was still scalding hot, and it was nearly filled to the brim. Arien had left the soup alone because it was too hot; she had waited for it to cool.

The two started swearing in different dialects of Wutaian instantly, but Reno had no idea what they were saying. He wasn't very fluent in Wutaian.

"RENO!" Tseng screamed, freaking out as a noodle got draped over his head, ending just above his eyes. Reno looked at him, and cracked up.

"Jeez, boss, if you think you can look – what's the word? Dignie? Dignifeefee?– anyways, if you think you can look classy with a noodle on your head, well, you're so fucking goddamn mistaken." He gasped as he continued to laugh, eyeing the two as they spouted off probably the vilest things ever to grace upon the Planet. At him. Whatever they were saying, the words flew right over his head. There was only one word Reno could comprehend in Wutaian and that was baka, and as far as he heard they were so beyond that point that the word never came up. Well, apart from that word, it sounded like some magical spell.

After the fiery string of curse words left their mouths, the two stood up in unison. "We're taking showers," they announced angrily. Then, Tseng promptly upturned his dish on Reno's head.

"What the hell did I do!" Reno's yell chased after the two as they went in opposite directions to their bedrooms.

* * *

"Gosh, that was a surprise," she murmured as the hot water splashed on her skin. "Thank god I flew out of the seat as soon as I felt it, otherwise there'd be burns." She hummed a song as she dumped shampoo on her head. Sticking her hands into her hair and making circular motions, she lathered her hair in shampoo, noticing that the shampoo was almost gone. 

Then a wave of pain hit her. And again. Like a sledgehammer, on her head. She knew this pain, although not at this intensity. It was so painful it was almost blinding, like three thousand sharp nails venting their fury at her scalp. There was ringing in her ears, and she went on all fours in the shower. Shampoo got in her eyes, and it stung like hell. Suddenly the water was beating on her like drumbeats, attacking her back with ferocity of raining stones. She wondered faintly if there were going to be punctures on the skin.

"Arien…"

Oh my god. Not that voice. Please no. Fuck. Fuck.

Sephiroth.

Her kin.

"Sister, why are you doing this?" His voice was soft and soothing, and she wanted to let everything go. "You can live a happy life. Your body is wracked with a virus and a disease incurable. You have a child of a man you love in your belly, but its life will be short."

"I can promise to get rid of your diseases, to give a long and fulfilling life for your child, if you promise to tell me where Mother is."

Arien was weak, sure, but she was not a dumbass.

But the voice was promising, soothing, gentle.

"Ye…"

_Reno!_ She wanted to scream his name out. He was, comically enough, the only hold that she had on her sanity right now. Usually, he was the one who was driving her insane. His crooked smile, his hand on hers, his hair, the smell of his body, the way he raised his eyebrows… she dug through her mind and clung onto those images with her sanity, hoping, pleading to someone, that she'd come out of this encounter with her sanity intact.

"He's dear to you."

_Oh fuck._

"No, I won't kill him," Sephiroth's voice entered her head. "It is you I need, not him, and killing him would accomplish nothing. Quite the opposite." His face came into her view again; it was utter perfection, with vivid green eyes, soft silver hair. His lips were full, almost feminine; his eyebrows arched elegantly above his slanted eyes. His cheekbones were high yet delicate; his skin was porcelain white. God, he was beautiful.

But he wasn't Reno.

She sighed in relief as her head confirmed Sephiroth's reply. A hand caressed her forehead as she slowly gave way to the darkness. It was slender, gentle. "Sleep," she heard as her vision darkened. Was it her mother?

"Sleep, little sister. Sleep."

* * *

Something was missing. Well, not missing. _Wrong_. 

Arien had been in the shower for almost half an hour. Tseng took a grand total of ten minutes. Arien averaged about fifteen. Reno had finished his meal, and was waiting for her as he flipped through the channels. _Chocobo racing, weather report, Shinra sightings… they've got my name wrong again… soccer... hmm, Costa's winning. More chocobo racing… porn, nope, not anymore…_

"Goddamn it, where the hell is she?" Reno stood up, tossing the remote at Rude, who caught it. Digging his hand in his jeans pockets, he sauntered out of the room, nearly crashing into Tseng who had a bath towel around his head, stormed into their bedroom and opened the bathroom door.

"Arien?"

No response.

"Arieeee."

The shower was running, but there was no one there.

"Creepy, yo." He opened the shower sash door wide. Arien was sprawled on the shower floor, back exposed, head turned sideways.

"…Shit!" He slid his hands under her and raised his arms cautiously. Kicking the shower knob and turning it off, he barged out of the shower. He placed her on the bed, and pulled the covers up.

"Elena!" He shouted. "Get your ass in here now or I'll shoot it."

"Whaaaaat?" There were padding footsteps, then Elena appeared. "What?" She had slippers on, and a jeans and a T-shirt that said "Keep on Rockin' in Midgar". Shinra had printed the T-shirts and distributed it the day the monument went up.

"Can you check on her? She got knocked out in the shower."

"Get a thermometer and the things in the second cabinet!" Elena ordered as Reno ran out of the room.

* * *

"She's pregnant." 

"She's what?" Rufus, Tseng, and Elena chorused together, each of their faces wearing the same startled expression.

"She's two and a half months," the young, dark-haired physician pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. Rufus had specifically instructed him not to tell anyone that this young Turk had Geostigma as well; that was going to send Healin into chaos.

"Is that why?"

"I think so. She hasn't eaten much, has she?"

Reno shook his head no. The red hair flipped and flopped everywhere.

"That might be it. No moving for a few days. Make sure she eats." The doctor stood up.

"Thank you, Doctor," Rufus said politely.

"Anytime, President. Please ring me up if there's any problem."

"Elena, see him out the door," Rufus ordered. Elena nodded and followed the doctor out of the room. It was only Rufus and Reno now; Tseng and Rude had discreetly retreated somewhere. The room was silent as the noon sun shot its beams on the wooden floor. Rufus watched the woman breathe, pitying her. What a time to be pregnant. He really had not made up his mind whether to let Arien keep the child in her. Infants tended to be nuisances, being taken as hostages and pinning his agents down, but Rufus was indebted to her. If she had not thrown herself onto him when the Meteor fell, he would be a crisp.

Being the president was such a bother sometimes. Rufus was a president. He was also a man of honor.

Reno was fidgeting. Rufus took the message, and left the room. A small pang of pain sliced through as he heard Reno gently call Arien's name.

"Reno?"

"Yeah? Feeling okay, babe?"

"Bit tired."

"I bet. You got conked in the shower."

"Shut up." Her arms slithered around his shoulders. It felt good; he liked it. She nuzzled the side of his neck. "It's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"Why can't there be more of you? Only one Reno isn't good enough for me."

"Aww…" he kissed her on the lips that were in mock pout. "You want more of me? You can have it…"


	19. 18: When Things go Wrong

Very long chapter, and a twisty tie!

Devil-Angel - Rufus is a man of honor... he just doesn't show it. Hey, he's human. He's a narcissist, though. I mean, who the hell would wear white two-piece 24/7? I bet the budget for dry-cleaning is astronomical.

Nee - Yes, the secret is out. Uh oh. Reno hasn't figured out geostigma yet, because remember, it's on Arien's scalp! If Arien was a blondie, he might have noticed it, but she has raven hair. So not yet.

ODST girl058 - Lol. Sephiroth is perfect... too perfect, and that's why I didn't make a Sephy romance. Reno's more human... Sephiroth is so perfect he's borderline Gary Stu for me. Rufus is human... but very rarely.

cookiekitten - yes. Hopefully. I'm planning on more Vincent and Yuffie and other people, namely Cid, Barret, Denzel, Cloudpuff, and Tifa. Since I can't really speak Cait-Sithish, I wouldn't know if he's making an appearance.

RaspberryPolarBear - LOL. Sephy is a ghostie right now. He doesn't have a body, so he can't beat the crap out of Arien and get the info. I am definitely not going to give Arien a wedding anytime soon, because I can't imagine Reno in a tux.

Insanity - I liked the ending too. Arien is so... dunno, fighter-ish all the time that she never lets herself off the hook and be lovey-dovey, and this is one of the rare moments that she does that. There will be sequel coming!

Announcement: Due to my school starting in a month, I won't be able to post as often as before. But I will keep posting!

Chapter 18: When Things go Wrong

* * *

Time passed with agonizing speed. Days turned into weeks without either of them realizing; and they began to talk of the future, unlike before, of living space, making permanent changes to welcome a new life into the world. 

Neither of them ever expected that anything would go wrong. They should have known, in their lives which more things turned askew than not.

They should have known, but they didn't.

* * *

All of a sudden, the world shattered around her. 

Ultimatum.

_Damn it, goddamn it, what could I have done to prevent this from happening?_

"I'm sorry, but I believed you lost the fetus," the physician said, not looking very sorry. Arien could not even cry. The pain was slow, but it was hitting her like waves.

Her baby. Gone. Barely three months in her.

Tears did not come out; instead, a voice of despair. A wail. Reno wanted to shut his ears; the cry bit into him like some bad karma. It chased him, accused him, sounded purely miserable.

"Arie, it's okay, yo. Really." He laid a hand on her arm, who was shaking. "Let's go home, Arie. Let's go home."

She did not respond. Trying his hardest not to let his tears spill, Reno helped his partner up. She felt limp and lifeless as they walked out the door together. It was raining outside, the sky grey, the water splashing onto the streets like a quiet requiem for the lost baby.

_

* * *

The virus in your body can react with Geostigma, spreading a new infection to everyone, dear sister. Heed me, Arien. I can relieve you of both maladies. Just tell me where Mother is. _

_Sephiroth, my answer is final. And it's a no._

_So be it, then._

* * *

Hours turned into days with Arien lost in a dazed oblivion. Two things were on her mind: one, the infant, her hope for the future, was quite dead and gone; two, if she stayed here, Reno would be in danger. She believed Sephiroth. He was a villain with no blood or tears, he killed people, but he was honorable in a sort of a sick, twisted way. She trusted his warnings about the viral infection. She also assumed that he said that to target Reno. And she was not going to allow that. 

It was two weeks later when Arien finally snapped out of the daze. She did not smile, but she talked, she moved around, did her work. Perhaps not too willingly, but she couldn't lie around all her life, and there were piles of work to do. Chasing Kadaj's group, taking care of Rufus, trying to rebuild Shinra Company – the Turks were grumbling that they better not get any position and still get the highest paychecks if Shinra was re-established. Rufus just smirked and watched his subordinates work.

_This life can't go on. I have to get out of here. _The words kept nagging at her, and Arien tried to ignore it. It was comfortable here, and she was happy here. But…

_Sephiroth is going to come after one of them, Reno most likely. Then it's going to be your fault._

Her conscience was always right, and she hated it.

_You can't involve them in your troubles._

The conscience kept nagging her, and she was getting pissed off at it, but what could she do? The conscience was right. She would involve others in trouble.

But where would she go to if she left here? She could not rely on her friends; they'd spill the beans to Reno, and he'd chase after her no matter where she went. She had to keep low profile wherever she was going to be.

She knew the answer already.

_Passione_.

* * *

"Boss, there's someone outside who wants to see you, says you met her in Costa del Sol… what the fuck?" The young boy turned as the commotion got louder. Giorno sighed; after there was a battle between the former boss and the group, the boss was killed, peace was reestablished, but somehow he found himself as the new boss. The job was not fun, and he personally wondered if Rufus Shinra went through the same thing. Bothersome subordinates who really could not do what he wanted. But then, Turks were top class, carrying out the orders with brutal efficiency. So maybe not. 

"Alright…" he sighed again, brushing his golden hair out of his face. Just then, he heard an alto voice, quiet but threatening.

"I said, I am in dire need to see your superior, dunce. Now if you don't want to end up like your little friend next to you, I suggest you move now."

"No!" Someone screamed, and Giorno was pretty sure it wasn't the owner of the alto voice. Gunshots sounded, and entered a woman, dressed in a navy pant suit and a white shirt. She looked furious. Her raven hair was still long, but unlike the last time they encountered each other, her blue-green eyes were flashing in fury, and a long gunblade was held in her hand, still smoking from the nozzle.

"Hello, Giorno." Her words were terse, no nonsense. "Are you the leader? I find that hard to believe."

Despite her obvious bluntness and her challenge, Giorno controlled himself from leading into an altercation. "How can I help you?"

"I need to see the leader."

"My former leader is dead. I'm the leader now."

"Is that so? Congratulations." She re-sheathed her gunblade, sarcasm in her voice. She raised her arm and tapped onto her wrist with the other hand. "I hope you haven't forgotten this. I'm calling in for a favor."

"Depends on what, Miss," he replied, while signaling his friends to get ready to attack if she moved in a threatening manner. Arien pretended not to notice. Not a lot escaped Turks' eyes.

"I got that stupid hook in my wrist, thanks to you, and now I know what you meant by 'being different'. I need that virus out of me, and I'm looking for an antidote."

"What power did you gain?" Giorno asked.

"This." In an instant an entire wall had disappeared, and the metallic being with vivid red eyes was slowly dissipating into the woman's form. "I don't need this. It's entirely your fault I'm plagued with this, I think it's your responsibility to get rid of it."

The entire hall became completely silent. "You want what?" Fugo managed to stammer out.

"I want this ability gone completely," she repeated. "As soon as possible."

That was impossible. Giorno shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss. DeVir. I'm afraid that's impossible."

"And why is that?" She asked without missing a beat.

"Because the only cases which stands got destroyed rendered the users unconscious, without any possibility of recuperation."

Fuck.

"There is no antidote."

"The only antidote means that you won't be conscious for the rest of your life."

Double fuck.

Evidently fate was trying to piss her off, and it was succeeding very well. Everything she tried to do, fate was trying to antagonize her by stopping her every evacuation route.

"Well, this is one jolly news," Arien said bitterly. "Thank you very much for messing up my life, you fucking bastard. I really appreciate it."

"What did you just say to Boss?" One of the lackeys cried out shrilly, but Arien ignored it. She turned on her heel, and started walking toward the exit without further ado.

"Shall I go erase her, Boss?" She heard one of them say. But the blondie probably prohibited it, seeing that she didn't hear anyone screaming vengeance and running after her. It was only after she stepped out that she touched a wall and leaned onto it, and felt tears run down her face.

* * *

"Reno?" 

"Hmm?" He shivered as she ran her tongue down his neckline, nearly got tangled in the shirt he was taking off, and managed to keep his balance and let the white material fall onto the floor. "Feeling horny tonight, missy?"

"Mm-hmm." She finished it off with a kiss, then looked up. He took her upper lip in his mouth, sucked on it. Her mouth latched onto the lower lip. He felt her tongue run a line. His hands were moving into her shirt, unhooking her bra, letting it fall onto the floor. His fingers played with her breasts.

"Oh my god," she mouthed as she hooked her fingers on his belt. His right hand moved down, releasing her waist and her hips from the jeans she was wearing; he hooked his finger onto her lacy underwear, pulled it down. "Gods, Arie, what happened to you? You used to be prudish."

"And now… I want you." She pulled him down onto the bed. Her raven hair fell on her white breasts as she pulled up the covers. "Yep."

"You want me to fuck you?"

"Uh huh."

"Say it."

"Yeah Reno, I want you to fuck me. There."

"I'll think about it." He pretended to start getting off the bed, and got whacked in the face.

"Reno!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." He leaned onto her, stuck his tongue in her mouth. "You want my other tongue too?"

Reno was trying to sate his pleasure when Arien sat up. She pulled on her underwear, then her jeans.

"Hey, where ya goin'?"

"It's over, Renaldo." She playfully kissed his forehead. "It's over."

"What?"

"How slow can you get? Oh right, you have an IQ of an octopus." She snapped on her bra, and started buttoning her shirt. "It's over, dumbass. OVER."

"What's over?"

"Did you honestly think I was in love with you?" She cackled. "Please. You? Yeah right."

Reno sat up, trying to deny what was happening.

"I was playing with you! Jeez, for a ladykiller with traipse of lost-virgins and pregnant women behind, you really are dense." She giggled as she threw on her jacket. "I let you fuck me because I heard you were the best. Didn't want pain the first time, and you really fucked me good. Loved it. But did you really expect some smut like love? Big chance. You aren't my type, sorry."

"Arien, if this is a joke…"

"This isn't a joke. You're starting to bore me." She strapped her watch onto her wrist. "Thanks for the nice sex, dude. You turned out to be a nice toy."

"Arien!" He jumped off the bed.

"I played you, retard. And I'm done." She winked playfully. "See ya later."

She pulled out her packed bag from the closet, hoisted it on her back.

"Arien! You can't be serious, you fucking liar!"

"Au contraire, Renaldo. I'm dead serious." She looked into his eyes, and nearly felt tears coming down. She blinked couple of times. She couldn't cry right now. Not now. Maybe later. Maybe much later, when she'd be thousand miles away from him. She pulled off the aquamarine ring on her finger, the ring that had been on her finger ever since Reno had given it to her. Well, it wasn't hers now. She placed it on the night table with a small click. "Well, that's that." She blew a kiss, made a little pouty face. "Sorry, Reno. It's over."

* * *

"Arien!" Reno was shouting. Tseng and Rude stormed into the corridor, where Reno was shouting his head off. "Arien! Jesus fuck, you prick-teasing bitch!" 

Arien peeked from the door, where she was halfway out. "Bye Reno!" She waved. The door slammed.

"Yeah, you cunt! Thought you could play me, huh? Well, fuck you!"

"Reno, explain why you're up at this ungodly hour, shouting DeVir's name and spouting all the conceivable profanities in existence," Tseng commanded furiously, wearing pyjamas and walking into the hallway. It was five in the morning, and Tseng thought the world was going to end. First, Reno was up. At five in the morning. Already an apocalypse was coming up. Second, Reno's shouts were going to wake Rufus up. And that would ensure that the world would end.

"Arien's gone!" Reno hissed. "She's gone! Fucking dick-tease."

If it was any other time, Tseng would have dismissed it as the girl walking off. But Tseng could discern no reason why Arien would walk out on him. Yes, he could guess what was going on, but Arien just walking out like that? Something was up. They were almost going out for two and half years and counting. No reason to just walk out. Besides, knowing Arien, she would spit out the ultimatum before walking out. There was something else.

"What is this commotion?" Rufus was trudging through the hallway, stretching and yawning. "By Holy, it's five in the morning…" another yawn. "What is it, Tseng? Who's hurt?"

Tseng silently gestured to the redhead, who looked like a very confused chocobo.

"Alright, Reno, what is it?" Rufus asked, a little crossly. He was still hazed after being rudely awakened with a shout and a yell.

"Arien's gone."

Rufus immediately knew why. Arien was going through stress. Geostigma, pregnancy, losing the fetus… even a Turk could take only so much. Being ripped apart by phantoms, nearly getting raped, hole through the wrist, sister dying, to add to the list. No wonder Arien walked out. Even as a Turk her life wasn't easy.

"Let her go," Rufus said. He knew why she had left, and in his mind Arien was a Turk. But he didn't really see any particular reason why Reno should know that. So he did not explain.

"What the fuck did you just say, blondie?" Reno demanded. Tseng tried to intervene.

"Reno, that is hardly the way to speak to…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Reno shouted.

"Let her go, Reno," Rufus repeated quietly. "Whatever the reason, she had her own. And knowing her, it was a good one."

Reno was beyond tears. His eyes looked like the time when he suddenly decided that children were evil, they must be exterminated… what happened was he grabbed a machine gun that spat out 1200 mako-tipped rounds per minute and pulled the trigger in the street. Shinra had to do a lot to cover that up afterwards. He had a diabolical, maniacal look that was thirsting for blood. Not particularly his blood. Any blood.

Rufus sighed. "Get Reno out of here."

"Not your problem, you fucking kiss-ass dick," Reno snarled. "I'm not gonna shoot anyone." With that, he shook Tseng off, entered the bedroom, and slammed the door shut behind him.

Tseng and Rufus looked at each other. They both shrugged.

"I didn't exactly imagine Reno would be like that," Tseng commented sourly. "I thought he had enough sense not to get romantically involved with anyone."

"Reno, of all the people," Rufus echoed Tseng's thoughts. "Rude, perhaps. I can even believe it from you. But Reno did not exhibit many hints that it might be like this. He was always take it and leave it."

"I'm sorry, sir," Tseng apologized. "It was my mistake."

Rufus shook his hand in a light dismissal. "Don't worry about it, Tseng. He'll come around." There was no way on earth that he would mention that he would miss Arien DeVir. Throughout the days when others were gone and he felt alone, she was somehow around, taking care of him with an efficiency of a trained nurse. She was oddly humane in this cruel, amoral world of Turks; it was almost as if she had not yet lost the tears. She had Geostigma, so perhaps he felt some empathy and affection for the woman who had the same fate as him. Perhaps she was the last reminder that there was still something human and sincere in the bleak, desolate world.

Unbeknownst to the two, Reno was sitting down on the ground, holding a ring that matched the one on the chain around his neck, biting back tears.

"Why, yo…? Why…?"

* * *

When Reno was screaming that his woman was quite gone, Arien was walking through the forest that led to the City of the Ancients. Unlike the last time she was here, she was not in her uniform, nor was she in her spiffy car. Her hand felt oddly light. Her uniform was in the closet in Healin, sitting complacently next to… 

She shook her head. She refused to think about a certain person. It hurt too much. But his red hair, his crooked grin, his aquamarine eyes, his hands on her, his voice when he moaned, his awkward walk…

"God! Get out of me!" Couple of birds took off in fright in the distance. Arien shouted. She hurt him. She saw that. She lied through her teeth, gave him a fatal wound, then left him. She wanted to tear her hair out and scream. She nearly broke down. She would turn, run back to Healin, apologize to Reno, explain, then…

"No. No, no, no." She told herself. "I'm not going back. I can't."

And she couldn't. Going back meant not only Reno in danger, but everyone else as well. And while she, Arien DeVir, was Reno's mental support, he would never forgive her if she was part of the reason for Rufus' demise. Believe it or not, the Turks loved Rufus. It wasn't an offered love, oh no. But throwing their lives away repeatedly for one man did create a strange attachment. And Reno was the one who went through most dangers for Rufus Shinra.

She walked faster; the backpack on her shoulder seemed lighter, now that she had made up her mind. The jacket she wore was dark brown and light and warm; her jeans fit well, giving her no discomfort. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. Left, right. Left, right.

She had a goal. She gave a call to Reeve, telling him that she was no longer in Healin; she didn't exactly help the WRO, but Reeve had liked her as a friend and she him, and she did not want to lose touch. Besides, Reeve's mother, Ruvie, had been kind to her when she was a small child. She did not leave a call to Shiv or Zen or Ivana; most likely they'd leak where she was to Reno, and she could just imagine Reno coming after her with a net and a noose. She did not want that. He'd never listen, he'd never understand why she left.

Her current target was a certain Turk. Well, ex-Turk.

She walked, her gun at the ready, her shoes crunching the leaves. She didn't even know if he was there. Left, right. Left, right. Then she'd just camp here for the night. Left, right. Left, right.

She loved this forest. It was filled with memories; when she walked here with… well, a certain person. When she had first met Vincent, who, over the months, became like her brother in her memories. Vincent was quiet, with few words, and rumor had that he hosted an army of demons inside his head, but she could see bitterness – no, not bitterness, sadness – and kindness in his crimson eyes. She had liked him as someone she could trust. You didn't get those a lot these days. The wind tousled her hair; the sunlight made the place turn into a nature palace of molten gold and bronze. The air was cold, it hurt her nose, but it smelled of things she liked; leaves, water, wind, earth. She breathed in. Left, right. Left, right.

She saw something red in the distance. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if the light was playing a trick. No, it was definitely red. Not blood-red, but scarlet.

He was here.

She did not exactly jump in joy. She just breathed again, kept on walking. She did not need comfort. She needed someone to listen, to give her guidance. Someone who could understand what it felt like to be a true mutant. Because that was what she was.

"Vincent Valentine," she called out.

"Who calls my name?" A deep voice called out in reply. She heard someone move, gun at the ready. She raised her hands as she approached. "I'm not sure if you'll remember me, but…"

"I do remember you," Vincent replied quietly. "Arien DeVir, is it? Turks?"

She nodded. "Can you put that gun down? I can't shoot you. You're too fast."

"Thank you for the compliment." Vincent replaced Cerberus back in the holster. "What brings you here?"

"Well, you," she returned bluntly.

"Me? Why is that?"

"I needed someone who… I don't know how to say this, but… can at least pretend to understand me, as who I am." She gestured vaguely. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Of course not."

"Thank you." She sat down. She did not seem to mind the dirt at all. Her hair was bound in a long ponytail, and she looked a little more relaxed. Her backpack was large, almost too large for someone of that frame. "Let me take that," Vincent said.

"I'll just put it down." She shrugged out of it, then pushed it to her left.

"Now, why did you think I'd understand you?" Vincent asked curiously. His red eyes were freaking her out a little, but she saw an attempt to understand her. She shrugged.

"I'm not normal."

"None of the Turks are."

"I'm not normal compared to my fellows."

"Oh?" Vincent now looked interested. "Care to explain?"

So she explained. From the beginning. How she had an enhanced nightvision and those gave her killer headaches. How apparently she was related to the psychotic killer general. How he talked to her right when she had Geostigma attacks, trying to get the information about 'Mother'. How a hook went through her wrist, and how she now seemed to be a carrier of some unknown virus, which, combined with Geostigma, could endanger the entire building. How she was pregnant, how she lost the child. In the end, she was in tears, grief washing over her like gentle waves.

She felt a human hand touch her forehead, and felt Vincent cradle her like a small infant. His shaggy hair touched her eyes as she closed them, sniffling. His red coat was oddly soft, his hand, no longer gloved, very human and warm.

"I'm so sorry," Vincent whispered. "You're different. Like I am. I do not know if it will turn out for the best, so I will not say that. But there are meanings to all suffering, and if you think you did the right thing, then indeed you did."

"I'm not sure if I did anything right. I made… a mess of things."

"We all do, Arien," Vincent said. His tone was quiet, not explanative. "Get some sleep. You must be tired."


	20. 19: Are Feelings Okay for Turks?

Update! Update! Read all about it!

From now on, the replies to the reviews will be relatively short, because I'm computer-banned and I can only go on for 10 minutes. But I still care about you guys! No, really! So don't leave me, and please read on, because I know you want to. Yessssss, you do.

ODSTGirl048 - Hey, how do we know Arien isn't a bitch? lol. I kinda like how this turned out myself, because usually with mary-sues it's all like "she knew this was the right thing to do, this self-sacrifice and let's all go kill ourselves because she's perfect" but in this story, Arien's not sure if she did the right thing and needs reassurance.

Raspberry Polar Bear - Originally I was going to make Vincent fall madly in love with Arien, and then it'd be a ferocious battle between Rufus, Vincent and Reno! MUWAHAHAHA! But then I realized that Arie is going to turn into the bane of fanfics, so I turned Vincent into a brotherly instead. Besides, Vince is about 57. (Senile problems, Vince?)

Insanity - Reno... is a little boy. He reminds me of a toddler sometimes. And if he was my boyfriend, I would commit suicide out of frustration. But Arien kept up. And Reno went postal. And... yeah. It was for his own good, but like all small children, he can't see it. And he still doesn't know what her problem was.

NarcissisticRiceball - I decided to make Arien's life as miserable as possible, because no one is really interested in happy people who has the perfect house and perfect family and e.t.c., unless they sudddenly kill themselves. And Vincent does make another entrance. And I love Vince, did I mention that? I think I'll name my kid Vincent if it's a boy...

Princess-Starr - As far as I know you're there, I'll love you! Got a new job, eh? I envy you. I'm such a lazy bum my production rate is in the negative. ... Yeah. More FFVII original characters coming up, including Tifa, Cloud, Rufus, e.t.c. And some of my own creation as well. Keep a watch out, because I don't know how this story will end.

Echo - okay, okay! FINE FINE! (grins) I'm so elated that you want to read the next chapter. So here ya go. Hope you enjoy. I did, writing it. I liked this chalter too, but it's kind of long, actually. But we'll see a lot of old faces again. Reno'll be making an entrance soon as well, along with "where are Elena and Tseng going to get together" Question.

Here's thechapter!

* * *

Chapter 19:Are Feelings Okay For Turks? 

_Reno, I'm sorry! I know there aren't enough words to apologize, but I did this for all of us! Please listen!_

_Forget it. You used me like trash, you sonuvabitch. Why the fuck did you have to do that? Huh? Huh? Bet you had fun._

_Reno, please… stop._

_No, you fucking whore! You fucking played with me, then you walked out! No explanation, no nothing. If you think this is some funny joke, then you're sick. You're fucking sick, man!_

_Reno!_

"…Arien!"

Arien woke up, and felt something wet on her face. She touched it. It was clear. Tears. She was crying in her sleep. She didn't know she could do that.

"Bad dream." It wasn't a question, just a statement for the obvious. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Did I wake you up?" She asked. The fire was crackling merrily, but still she felt cold. She hugged herself absently, then realized that she wasn't physically cold, she was mentally cold. Big difference there.

"Not particularly. I don't sleep much." Vincent's eyes looked red in the flame, but she couldn't discern whether it was from the lack of sleep or not. Vincent's eyes were already crimson before she even met him.

"I'm sorry." She had no idea why she said that. That was Vincent's choice, and there wasn't anything particularly sorrowful about not being able to sleep.

"There's no reason to be, Arien." He paused, then eyed her with curiosity. She was absently reminded of a brother she had wanted when she was little. Well, someone who was close was sitting in front of her. "Do you want to talk?"

"Um… sure." She wiped her eyes with her hand. But more tears flowed.

"Relax. Take a deep breath."

She breathed.

"Right. Now start from the beginning. Anything that comes to your mind."

"I… I contracted this virus when we were in Costa. It's my fault, really." She took a deep breath, acutely aware that she had already went over this. But she decided to continue. "That day I slept in, and… and, well, Reno and Elena were gone, so I went outside, and saw them talking together. They seemed so happy with each other's company, and well, I got jealous." She looked at Vincent, as if asking for his judgment. However, he just nodded, bidding her to continue.

"Well, they were coming this way, so I stepped into a shady alley, where this hook went through my wrist. That hook emits a virus, and I'm a carrier. To make a very long story short, I lost my baby…" she felt tears coming again. "Well, I told you the story."

"You can tell me again if you wish," Vincent said gently.

"I carry both Geostigma and the virus, and the Geostigma reacted with the virus, making it viral and very contagious. I had to leave. I couldn't kill Reno. He loves life so much; to render him of his life would be worse than death. But there was no way I could convince him, so I lied. I told him I used him like trash for my pleasure…" tears were overflowing. She didn't know she could cry so much. "I don't know if I made the right choice. I hurt him. Badly. I did it for him, but I don't know if it will be for him…"

Vincent sat straight again. "Do you remember what you said to me before you left last time?"

"Um…" Honestly, she didn't. And she didn't see what this had to do with anything either. All she remembered were hazy memories of going crazy on how to transport two comatose bodies. No offense to Mr. Valentine, but she really wasn't in the state of mind to remember anything apart from her fellows' welfare. "No."

"You told me that it was alright to cry once in a while. What did you mean by that?"

She had a vague memory of saying something about it. "I'm not sure," she began, "but I used to be like you, I think. Oh, I don't mean I've been through your suffering," she added as she saw Vincent's expression twitch a little. "We each have our own problems and our own sufferings; but when my first boyfriend, Darren Blake, died, I was lost. He wasn't exactly someone I loved from the bottom of my heart, but I loved him well, and he was my mentor, someone who would protect me, teach me how to live. And even in the Intelligence, he was so open. We usually get twisted, and we stop feeling, because that's how we survive through our jobs. But Darren was good enough to always feel something after each mission, some certain guilt."

Vincent had a clue where this was going, but he urged her to continue.

"When Darren was killed in an accident, I shut myself off. I didn't feel. I was like a robot, executing the commands I received with precision and efficiency, yes, but I probably would have felt nothing killing any of my friends. I didn't want to feel. I thought that if I didn't feel, I wouldn't have to go through a lot. But I was wrong, because when you feel a pain, it never really goes away. Ever."

How he knew that well.

"But when I was in the Intelligence, I began to think that feeling was wrong. I shouldn't cry. I shouldn't laugh. If I felt, I wouldn't be able to carry out my assignments. And failure could be fatal. So I locked away my feelings, threw away the key so to speak. I was like that when I first joined the Turks."

"And then?" How on Earth would being in Turks rank make someone relearn how to feel? That seemed like an antithesis.

"I met Reno," she replied simply. "Oh, he doesn't feel at all when he's carrying out missions. He can easily kill without twitching. But he also forgot – or maybe he never knew – how to care for someone, how to love. That's probably why he broke so many girls' hearts." She smiled a small smile, tinged with nostalgia. "He lost something precious, as I did. First, it was total warfare. We tried to annoy each other. But then, I started caring for him, and I hated myself for it." She laughed. "I didn't want to feel, that was against my beliefs. But I cared for Reno all the same. And I think he just wanted me at first because I didn't just throw myself at him. But as he chased me around, he started to care for me too. I relearned how to love someone. So, Vincent," she said, her expression now serious again, "I know you had sufferings, I won't delve into that. I can't. It's beyond my suffering to measure yours. But… trying to be stoic is fine, but it'll feel much better to let it go once in a while. You probably know this already, and if this seems like some boring repetition of a girlish, inane thought, you can stop me when you get bored, but it's not a crime to cry. People have guilt. But you can't keep looking back to it. You have to go on."

Vincent did not speak. He just watched her as she finished. She realized the gunslinger was looking at her, and looked startled.

"Oh my, I just made a fool of myself, didn't I?" She said hastily. "I'm sorry. You probably think that I shouldn't complain, because my life isn't that tough."

"No, I don't think that," Vincent said softly. "I think… you did very well, for a situation you were given."

"Really?" Her reaction was like of a small child, wanting mother's approval. Vincent felt sorry for her. In Midgar, you had to do anything to live. And Arien lived the only way she could. Sure, she killed many, but she did not deserve so many griefs she had gone through.

"And Arien, what you did… I don't know if it was a right choice. Maybe it was. Maybe not. But it is done. And you did it for him. You love him, and that's what counts. You have to move on."

Arien looked into his crimson eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Arien. You need to rest."

Arien nodded, and had fallen asleep again; by the fire, she looked like Lucrecia more than ever. Just like Lucrecia, this poor girl had gone through sufferings she did not have to, but she did anyways, all because of that crazed scientist of Shinra Company. And just like Lucrecia, she was guilt-ridden, trying to live under the weight of the guilt.

He gently touched Arien's forehead again. She moved like a small bird in the cold wind, curling up into a tighter ball.

"Lucrecia…" he whispered, looking up at the starlit sky. The wind blew, taking away his soft whisper in the breeze.

* * *

Three days later, Arien left. While she was packing, Vincent remained seated, staring into the fire. 

"You can stay here, if you wish," he said quietly.

"I know," Arien replied, trying to squish a blanket into the backpack. "But you gave me courage, and I think I can go on now. I left so I won't be giving sickness to people, and I certainly don't want to give it to you." She paused, her blue-green eyes staring into his crimson orbs. "I won't be alright, but I'll go on." She took a deep breath and continued, "Besides, I need to get away from here. I need to be away from comfort. I bring danger to people around me, I think." She pulled the backpack onto her shoulder, then bent down and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Vincent," she said. "Thank you, for everything."

* * *

"Target hit. My stand is in her now." 

"Well done."

"Shall I come back?"

"No, track her down. Guide her to _Passione_ hideout if need be."

"Roger that."

* * *

Arien's next destination was not a location at all. More like people. 

She knew exactly where _Passione_ was. Her research had paid off at the previous visit. Granted that they didn't suddenly decide to change the place of residence, they were still there. It was the logical place to go. They probably needed more people with skill, and boy, did Turks know skill when it came to doing the dirty jobs. That's why Shinra spent billions of gils training them in the first place.

Well, she wasn't a Turk now, and she had to be careful not to run into any of the Turks. When a Turk abandoned the ranks, that Turk was doomed. The fellows would be looking for the ex-Turk, their command one and only: exterminate those who used to be in Turks. They were allowed to Shinra archives, the secrets, the works, and Rufus really didn't care to afford those kinds of leaks when the company was up and running. Shinra was gone now, but Rufus still had secrets up his white sleeves, and well, the order was still in place. She didn't really plan to sell out Rufus, however. Unless there was a very good reason, which she could not think of.

The _Passione _headquarters were underground, a couple of kilometers off from the monument. You had to enter an abandoned old grungy building, enter the basement, peel the rug off the floor in the eastern corner, and open the trapdoor. There were guards standing around where you dropped, and they would interrogate you to discern whether you were supposed to be there or in heaven. If the decision was the latter, they shot you to death. It was an easy and simple system.

Arien peeled the rug, opened the trapdoor, then dropped in. Immediately she was manhandled by the two guards, who seemed to have decided that she was possibly an enemy. Which was plausible. She massacred more than seven guards on the last visit, and her gunblades were within easy reach.

"State your purpose!" One of the guards barked. Arien looked at them.

"I need to see your boss. Giorno Jiovanna. Now," she stated flatly.

"Big chance. Boss is sleeping."

"I said now, and when I say now, I mean it." Arien was getting impatient. These were goons that really needed to be dead. Like Corneo's lackeys, from long ago. Thankfully, before Arien pulled out her gunblade and shot the two buffoons to death, Fugo appeared from the darkness.

"What the…!" He stopped, then looked at her like she was an apparition that appeared out of a wall. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to see your superior, and these guards are really holding me up." She pulled out her gunblade, but did not do anything. "If they keep holding me up, I'm going to lose my temper, and I'm not promising anything then."

"Let her in," the blond said. "I know her."

"But…"

"That's an order from Pannacotta Fugo, and I'm one of the primes. Let her in."

The guards moved aside reluctantly. Arien passed without further ado.

"What brings you here?" Fugo asked. Arien looked at him, her blue-green eyes staring into his sky-blues.

"I left. And since I killed a good seven guards last time, I thought I needed to repay your group. I can only offer myself."

"We don't need prostitutes or concubines," Fugo replied shortly. Sharp anger rose in her, and Arien slapped him across the face.

"I am not a concubine, and I never will be," she retorted. "But I was in the Intelligence. I know how to fight, I know how to extract information. I can be a valuable asset."

"We'll see about that."

She did not reply to that. He was right not to trust her. After disarming her and promising her that her things will remain safe and untouched, he led her through the halls and doorways, until they reached one door which was closed. Fugo knocked. "Giorno, guest."

"Fugo?"

"Yeah, it's me. You have a guest. A woman."

The door opened, and the familiar face peeked out, a frown on the delicate Costa features. Arien was nearly reminded of a face she was trying very hard to forget, and bit her lip. Blond hair, shoulder-length, was on his pale face. His hair was ruffled; he still was barely a young man. "Arien DeVir?"

"That's me."

"Come in. I'm sorry about the last visit." He was polite. "Fugo, would you care to come in too?"

"Sure."

Giorno was in a dressing gown; he was barefoot, and she took notice that he had very slender feet. "Please sit," he said, gesturing to a chair. "Fugo, you have to sit on my bed. I only have one chair." Fugo sat down on the bed without any protest. Giorno sat a few feet away from him. "So. What brings you here?"

"I come here to offer you my services. And no, I don't mean my body," she added as she saw the young man's face contort in a denial. "I have some skills you might be able to put to use. I was in the Intelligence. To tell you the truth, I don't know how to control this ability-"

"Stand," Fugo interjected.

"It's called stand? Okay. I don't know how to control it, and it looks like it's very destructive. I assumed you know how to control them, and I'd rather not wreck the city with this… thing. I can offer you my skills, but I need to learn how to control my abilities. That's why I'm here."

"What about your previous commitment?"

"Ah, that. I'll be honest, I am not entirely sure I can offer my complete loyalty, as it was offered to another party. But I will be sure that I will not harm this group. I will not give out any information dealing with this group to anyone, but I will not promise that I will divulge any information dealing with the previous party. That is my offer." Her tone sounded like "take it or leave it", but she couldn't do anything about it. She wasn't going to lie.

Giorno and Fugo looked at each other. "Miss. DeVir-"

"Arien."

"Arien, do you mind if you step out? We need some time to discuss this over."

"Of course not." She stood up and exited the room, not really giving a hoot whether they had gay sex or talked. They could pass off as gay, she mused, remembering how many "gay" theories floated around Midgar. Sephiroth and Cloud was a very common rumor, as well as Tseng and Rufus, and Rude and Re…

She commanded herself to stop thinking, and looked around. Her eyes latched onto something else, very nearly making her forget the complications. Her new interest was in the hall outside, where a man was shooting with a pistol. It was very odd, because the bullets kept curving in its courses, going this way and that. She never saw that happen before.

"Excuse me," she said, tapping his shoulder, "how do you do that?"

"Do what?" The man wore a very odd-shaped helmet, a sweater that showed midriffs that matched the criss-cross design of the helmet, and army trousers.

"Your bullets curve this way and that."

"That? You can't do it. It's my special ability." He saw her touching another pistol that was on the nearby table. "You shoot?"

"Not very well."

"Do you want to try?" He loaded the bullets into another pistol and handed it to her. The pistol was unfamiliar in her hands, a little too heavy for her arm, and a little too large for her hand. She probably needed both hands to shoot the thing.

"Four hearts," the man called out, and a man at the end of the hall stuck a card onto the target. The man grinned. "Try to shoot the hearts, if you want to. Don't shoot a person, though."

She took a step back, held the gun in her hand. She hooked her right forefinger onto the trigger, and used the left hand to hold the butt of the barrel of the pistol to keep it steady. She had target practices before; she wasn't excellent, but she was pretty good at it. After a careful aim, she pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through the air, spinning, and bore a hole in the upper right heart.

"Bravo!" The man said. "Try again."

She aimed again, and this time it was the left upper. Then again, this time the right lower. She missed the last one by a few centimeters. The man was clapping.

"Bravo, you're very good," he said. He called out for another four of hearts, and shot four times, one after another, in rapid succession. She looked at him in surprise as all four found its mark.

"But not as good as me."

"Arien!" Fugo stuck his head out from the doorway. "We're finished."

"Nice shooting, Arien," the man winked, then went back to the other pistol. She walked quickly across the hall and into the room. "Yes?"

"We've decided to let you join us," Giorno explained as Fugo shut the door. "On one condition. You are not to contact the previous party. I'm sorry, but it's for our protection. You must also never use your stand on anyone from _Passione_. That's for our protection as well."

"Fine."

Fugo turned to look at her. "I guess we have to name your stand, they all have names," he explained. "Mine is called Purple Haze; Giorno's is called Gold Experience. Mista, the man outside who's shooting, his is called Sex Pistols; they're bullet carriers, and that's why his bullets go in any direction. What will yours be called?"

She recalled the metallic, pink sheen on the stand of hers. The vivid red eyes, flashing like red lights. It was pink. It was definitely quite pink.

"Pink Floyd," she replied.


	21. 20: Bad Karmas

CookieKitten - This one has ALL the Turks in it! Muwahahaha! I am an evil genius, aren't I? Ahem. Anyways. And it also has Tifa and Cloud. And some scenes from da movie, yo. Haha. Reno talk is fun.

Raspberry Polar Bear - Reno would have drank the note and all... and then he'd get mad at her for not leaving a note. Pink Floyd is one of my favorite bands, and Arien's a little weird like that band, so all is well. Fugo's Purple Haze is from Jimi Hendrix, Giorno's Gold Experience is from Prince, Mista's Sex Pistols is from Sex Pistols, Buccierati's Sticky Fingers is from the Rolling Stones, and Narancia's Aerosmith is well, from Aerosmith.

ODST girl058 - People keep accusing of Arien being a Sue, and then being an anti-sue. I don't think Arien's that ugly, except she wears a scowl on her face a lot. But that doesn't mean she's ugly! Did you catch the Stand Names before Pink Floyd? If you did, you're awesome. If you didn't, you're still awesome.

NarcissisticRiceball - Nope, Reno and Arien aren't having a too easy relationship, but then, I didn't expect it to go easy. I mean, Vincent's love affair went down the toilet. Poor Vince. He was hot when he was a Turk. He's still hot. I want him as my brother. So I can come crying when my boyfriend is nasty to me and he can pat my head.

insanity - DAMN IT! I missed Cloud and Reno. I read two Doujins involving it too. If Reno was my boyfriend, I'd keep him out of my way, most likely he'd end up making a mess and I'd have to clean it up. Actually, that's how my boyfriend is. He managed to set Mac and Cheese on fire. That takes talent.

Here's da story, yo.

* * *

Chapter 20: Bad Karmas

Reno looked at the clock by the bed and groaned. It clearly read two thirty AM, and he had no clue why he woke up. The house was quiet; but then, no one was there. No one had been here except Reno every night for almost three weeks now. He was back at The Edge, all alone this time, not sure what he was going to do. Sure, it hurt him to be there, but it was a different kind of hurt, torn pride too. After all, Arie had just thrown him away. Like a piece of trash. That was all he was to her; a toy, a trash that could be easily thrown away. Last time, it was a forced separation, it wasn't her fault. This time, it was on purpose. The intention hurt like hell. What the hell did he do to deserve it? Wasn't he a faithful lover for once? Or was it some kind of a sick karma, gods' twisted joke?

He walked into the bathroom to wash his face, clear the sleepy haze and get some pills. His head was about to crack, he was sure of it. His sleepy hand opened the cabinet, managing to knock over some of the pill bottles in the process. Some of it just clattered, but one fell into the sink with a clang, the pills inside clattering against the plastic. He picked it up, and read the label, realizing that it was a prescription.

_6158420DJD 02-14  
__DeVir, Arien Dr. Downers, Clinical  
__Apozepam 500mg 40 000-0000_

_Take one Capsule once a day _

_WARNING: _

_DO NOT take more than two pills within 24 hours  
__DO NOT take with alcohol  
__DO NOT take on empty stomach_

_Discard this medication one year after the date dispensed_

Reno reread the label, then grinned. "Don't take it with alcohol, huh?" He muttered to himself. He was now wide awake. A year ago, if someone asked if he would ever do this, he probably would have replied a terse "fuck no". But right now, it seemed to be the release from the pain he was going through.

Slamming the medicine cabinet shut, he turned the bathroom light off and walked down to the kitchen, turned the lights on, where he rummaged through the cabinets and found the place where Arien stored the liquors. Some of them she used for cooking, some of them for drinking. He grabbed a bottle that said _Chartreuse_, uncorked it with a small _pop_. Then he sat down at the kitchen table.

Ever since she was gone, he felt like he had a big hole. He felt incomplete. He also felt a moron, because he was a Turk, and Turks weren't supposed to rely on anyone. But now, now with her gone, he felt that he relied a lot on her for mental support. Something friends couldn't really fill. Friends were buddies who drank with you and took you home when you got piss-ass drunk. But Arien was someone much more to him. Someone whom he didn't mind sharing his secrets, his pains with. And with her gone, well, he somehow doubted he could do kill someone without breaking. Damn it, he was breaking already.

He unscrewed the top of the pill bottle, shook out the contents. White capsules tumbled out, about thirty of them. Sleeping pills. He knew Arien took them when she couldn't sleep. They looked promising, as if they were promising him to bring Arien back. All he wanted now was her, just her, for her to be with him, to caress his forehead and whisper in his ear that this was all a bad dream, that she was there. Then maybe a soft kiss. Her mouth on his, her breaths on him, the soft feathery breaths.

God, this was probably why it said in the Turk guidelines to not get into serious relationships. Fuck.

Arien had left him. He had a hole in his heart.

He threw the pills into his mouth, then washed it down with the alcohol. Not sure what to do now, he left the open bottle of the alcohol on the table along with the pill bottle, and went back to the bedroom, where, for once, he was able to sleep without Arien haunting his dreams.

* * *

Trrrr, trrrr. 

"Hey, you've reached Reno's cell! Lucky you, babe! Leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back… when I feel like it."

"Please say your message after the tone. Hit pound of hang up when you are finished," said the mechanical, feminine voice.

Tseng ignored Reno's cocky voicemail and hang up. Nobody was answering the landline, and Reno's phone was off; either that or he wasn't picking up. It was eleven, the sun was high in the sky, and Reno was supposed to be here two hours ago. Tseng knew Reno wouldn't be this late when they were going out on an assignment. No, something was up.

"Rude," Tseng turned to face the bald Turk, "go check on Reno. Something's up. You too, Elena."

The two Turks nodded wordlessly, and left. A minute later Tseng heard the car drive out, down the graveled path from Healin. Tseng sighed, and picked up the phone again.

"Oh Reno…"

In the meanwhile, the two Turks were at the front door, waiting for any reply from the inside after a a polite knock. Nothing came out. Rude rang the doorbell. No one answered.

"Maybe he isn't there."

Rude shook his head, pointed at the kitchen, where the light was on. Yes, Elena could admit, even Reno didn't leave the house with the kitchen lights on, windows open.

"He's in there?"

Nod. Rude picked out a paperclip and knelt on the stone steps, picking the lock. He wasn't as good as Reno, but he could still do it, if a bit slow and clumsy. A few minutes later and a small snick, Rude turned the doorknob. The door opened.

"Reno?" Elena called out. No answer.

"Reno, I'm coming in, okay? Rude's here too." Elena stepped into the clean, small house. She looked around; she had never been here before, but she could see that a woman used to live here. A woman, because everything was in place, and she did not see empty beer bottles and half-empty pizza boxes lying around. Used to, because everything was covered in a thin layer of dust. A painting adorned the wall to the right, a simple drawing of flowers in a vase. It was colored with gentle pastel colors, like violet, sky blue, and pink. Elena decided she liked the painting, then faced forward. There was a staircase leading upstairs.

She climbed the stairs quickly. The first door she opened was a bathroom; not something extravagant, but clean. She entered the bathroom, her nylon-clad toes sliding on the white tiles. There was a fogless mirror, hairbrushes, mouthwash, two toothbrushes, toothpaste… normal things one might find in the bathroom. The soap on the sink was dry. Nothing here to help her, Elena thought. She went out into the corridor, shutting the bathroom door behind. The next door seemed to be the bedroom. She turned the doorknob and went inside, only to find Reno slumped on the bed, head not quite on the bed. His arms were spread, his legs were haphazardly placed diagonally across the bed. His position looked awfully unnatural to be sleeping.

"Uh… Reno?" She touched his neck, then jerked back, stifling a small scream. He was cold.

"Rude! Rude!"

The big bald Turk came sprinting up, holding a green bottle in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. "What?"

"Reno… oh my god, Reno! He's dead!"

"Overdose. He probably needs to be pumped. Elena, call the ambulance." He showed her the bottles. "Apozepam overdose," Elena read. "That's a strong sedative."

Rude shrugged, and Elena realized that she was the only medical expert. "Rude, get blankets!" She ordered, realizing that Reno's life was quite literally in her hands, and dashed to the black phone at the bedside table.

"This is Elena Philips, requesting ambulance at 158 26th street! Drug overdose of 500 milligrams Apozepam, taken with alcohol."

"Roger that. Ambulance on the way."

Rude came back with blankets (he knew where blankets were, he crashed at this house before), with which Elena nearly suffocated Reno in. He was still cold, and ghostly pale. He was barely breathing.

"Reno, my god, Renaldo Miller," Elena wailed, "why did you have to do this? This is so irresponsible!"

* * *

"Doctor, how is he?" 

"Miss. Philips, it's already a miracle he's living." The doctor removed his glasses, and wiped them on a cloth. Elena stole a peek at Reno, who was lying in bed, unconscious. Four different large machines were connected to him in some way or another, making soft beeping noises. With a tube stuck into his wrist and a plastic mask covering his nose and his mouth, he looked unusually weak to Elena. "He probably needs counseling, but Mr. Shinra had forbid that, and I can't argue with him. He got his stomach pumped, so to speak, and we're running tests to see if any of his organs are damaged. Surprisingly, none so far." The doctor replaced the thick-rimmed glasses on his nose. "He really is a strong one, isn't he? I'm surprised he lived this long. From the looks of the amount of digestion, he probably took them between 1 o'clock and 3 o'clock in the night, and a larger man than him would be dead."

"How many did he take, do you think?"

"I'd say about thirty pills, fatal amount by any means. As I said before, it's a miracle he's still breathing." Elena shot a sideway glance at the comatose form on the bed, wondering what that chain around his neck meant. She had seen that ring on the chain before, but could not quite remember where.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I can't say for sure, Miss. Philips. But your medical knowledge helped in saving him, I say. Thank you."

"When can he get released?"

"We still have to run a few tests before we can release him into your custody, so I'd say a day or two. Who is he going to be released to?"

"Me."

"Then Miss. Philips, please ask at the front desk for release papers. You need to fill them out before Mr. Miller can be released into your custody."

"Thank you, Doctor."

The blue light filled her eyes again, and then, she knew. The same ring was on Arien's hand, the same, simple ring, adorned by one aquamarine. She heard someone move and stir, and then turned. She saw Reno sitting up on the bed, rubbing his temples.

"Aw, Elena, what the fuck." Reno's aquamarine eyes were unfocused. Elena noticed that Reno had nice collarbones, then swatted the thought out of her mind.　She liked Tseng, not Reno, and Reno was NOT her type! But… he did look lonely and depressed. She pitied him, that's all. Nothing more.

Nothing more…

"Reno, why did you do that! That was very irresponsible, you know!" She said crossly.

"And I was so close too. Damn it. Fuck you, bitch." Reno glared at her angrily. Elena decided that the moment of that small twinge of affection was definitely not real.

* * *

Reno made a relatively quick comeback, or it appeared so, and for that, the rest of the Turks were thankful. No matter how haphazardly he behaved, he was still the ace, and Reno down meant half the Turks down. Elena didn't really want to admit it, but that was the truth. He seemed comfortable working with Rude. He seemed to be back to the ol' playa Reno again after the committed suicide, and sure enough, he was fooling around. Only Mr. Rudolph Richardson knew that Reno was trying to deny the fact that she ever existed after he and Elena quite successfully overthrew his plan to join the Lifestream. 

"Hey Rude," Reno warbled as they walked down the street, "ya know the Cetra girl? What was her name, yo? The one Tseng had the world's most pathetic crush on?"

Rude didn't mention that Reno acted pretty pathetic when his girlfriend was around. The redhead had nightstick in one hand, a pistol in the other, and Rude would be a big liar if he said he didn't know Reno was trigger-happy. Not to mention that without Arien around, he really didn't care the consequences.

"Aeris Gainsborough," Rude replied.

"Yeah. That chick. Man, she was a looker is I ever saw one. The Tifa chick too, I mean, her jugs, they're like this big!" He approximated the size of Tifa's bust with his hands. "I bet she was a virgin."

Rude wasn't sure if Reno was referring to Aeris or Tifa in the last comment, thought that Aeris and any talk of sex was highly inappropriate, but he kept his mouth shut. He really didn't like the fact that his best friend was checking out his crush's rack either, but again, he kept his mouth shut.

"Hey, say… wait, isn't that one of the trios? Log, or somethin'?" Reno pointed to the distance. Rude wasn't sure if Reno missed the name on purpose, or just to be insulting. They must have been walking obliviously, because they were approaching the church and they could see a large man with silver short-hair in the distance, a small girl's hand in his. "Wow. Didn't know he went that way. I mean, I like chicks, but not that young, yo. Molesting kids are… ick." Reno scrunched up is feline face and exaggerated his disgust. "Here comes the Chocobo Head. I say we hide. The fucking douche doesn't really like us. Still thinks we're out to kill the Planet. Fuckin' idiot."

Rude nodded in agreement, and they hid themselves amidst the rubble that used to be the glory of Shinra Company. They could see the building they worked in everyday in the distance, now only suitable as the world's biggest junkyard. Reno could almost see Arien watching him in her office as he ran down the hall for his life, Elena hot on his heels… stop thinking about her, damn it! She was gone, she left him to rot. Apparently he was about as good as a piece of trash for her. That fucking bitch. All those pretenses of loving him and giving herself up. Liar. Fucking, rotten shit.

By sheer dumb luck, the rubble the two Turks were hiding behind happened to be located in a position where they could hear everything that went within Aeris' church. They heard footsteps, heavy boots on wooden planks, then someone running, then the Chocobo Head calling Tifa's name. Then muffled talks, then Chocobo Head swearing, then groaning, then a thump.

"Wow. That sex lasted long," Reno muttered sarcastically. "Guess Jug Chick knocked Chocobo out. Maybe he wasn't big enough for her." Throwing that last lewd comment to no one in particular, he grinned. He peeked out from the rock they were hiding behind. "Hey, they're both knocked out. Let's check it out, yo."

Rude thought it was one of the worst ideas ever to cross his path, but again, he kept his mouth shut. Even a worse idea was to refuse Reno's ideas. That meant you were committing an assisted suicide.

"Hey, they're knocked out," Reno's voice floated in the air. "I don't think they were having sex. I mean, Cloud does have his head up against her crotch, but it'd be awfully hard to do oral like that, yo. More like Tifa got knocked out first."

"We better carry them back," Rude said, ignoring Reno's excessively sexually explicit comments.

"Carry back where? Oh, the bar." Reno shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, okay, yo. But I get the chick."

Tifa was much heavier than Arien, Reno found out, but Arien was underweight, and she definitely did not sport a bust the size of Tifa's. In fact, Arien was borderline cleavage-less. Sure, she had gorgeous legs and a nice, slim waist and a much toned butt, but when it came to her torso she was hopeless. Reno had to carry the unconscious, if very beautiful, woman on his back, walk a full length of the street, and get the woman in the car. By the end of the task, he was sweating and swearing, and Rude was doing no better.

"Jesus, these two are about as heavy as moogles," Reno grumbled as he pushed the key into the socket and turned it right, making the engine rev into life. "Okay, Seventh Heaven, where they serve the best set of jugs in the world, really, Rude… where was that place?"

After reaching the place meant another havoc of carrying Cloud and Tifa up the stairs. The two Turks dumped their luggage quite unceremoniously onto the beds.

"How long do we stay here?" Reno asked.

"…"

"Right. Let's hope the Chocobo Head wakes up soon, 'cause I really gotta go take a piss."

Reno had used the bathroom and had already returned when Cloud finally stirred. He looked to his right, saw Tifa lying onto the next bed comatose, then got off the bed. He stared down at the still Tifa's form for a few seconds, voiceless.

"You were _really_ heavy, yo." Reno wanted to add some constructive advice to lose SOME GODDAMN WEIGHT, but he kept his mouth shut.

"You were living with the kids, right?" Rude asked. He was talking about Denzel and Marlene.

"It's empty," Reno chimed in.

Cloud looked down.

"You fine with it?" Rude asked.

"I…" Cloud did not continue. He did, however, to look back at Tifa.

"Hmmh," Reno sighed. "You're annoyingly slow, yo."

Reno walked out, Rude following suit. Rude's gloved hand slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"Hey Rude, still having hots for the Tifa chick?" 

Reno and Rude were walking back to Seventh Heaven, after Rufus' orders to check up on the two. After all, their goals were the same, and Rufus figured that it'd be less damage to them if he just let Cloud beat up the trio. But in order for Cloud to beat up the trio, Cloud needed to not look like a chocobo about to get minced. Elena and Tseng were still looking for the missing kids, both in Wutai and now in The Edge, along with the mystery of the world REUNION scribbled on the piece of paper. And so, Reno and Rude it was. And the blondie and the Wutaian had come up with sufficient answers. The redhead and the baldie were messengers for the news too.

The two Turks entered the bar silently, went up the stairs, and were standing in the room where Tifa and Cloud were talking, posed, for quite a while. Reno had his arms crossed, Rude hands on hips.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally…" Tifa was saying.

"Dilly dally, shilly shally!"

"When are you gonna stop dragging around that big hunk of guilt, yo?"

Tifa and Cloud looked up in surprise, suddenly realizing that they weren't alone. Reno honestly wondered what the hell they would do if they weren't just talking but engaged in full blown sex. Ah well. That would be a good show.

"Couldn't you find them?" Tifa asked urgently.

"They took them away… had witnesses, yo."

"Where did they go?" Cloud asked, sitting up more properly.

"The Forgotten City… a hideout."

Tifa and Cloud looked down again.

"Please… can you take care of it?"

Reno moved his head a little. The two Turks awaited Cloud's next words. Cloud stood up and announced, "I'm going to go talk to Rufus."

"Don't run!" Tifa pleaded. "I understand… even if you find the children, you might not be able to do anything. Something might happen that we can't take back." She raised her arm, then brought the fist t herself. "You're afraid of that, aren't you? But please, accept a lot more things!" She leaned forward, her right hand digging into the duvet. "A burden? Heavy? Well, there's no helping that, it's a heavy burden!"

Reno gestured Rude: _hey, let's get the hell outta here, it's gonna be Miss. Lockheart's philo-fucking-sophical lecture._ The two moved toward the door.

"Unless you want to live all alone, you have to deal with that!" Tifa was saying. Reno knew that well. His mouth twitched a little. At that comment, he stopped, turned around, and looked at the two. Rude looked back as well.

"You don't want to be alone, do you?" Tifa was asking Cloud, who was looking away from her. "Even though you never answer, you always have the phone with you!"

Reno, who had his right hand hiding his mouth, lowered his hand. His expression was feline and undecipherable.

"You go to the hideout, yo," he said. With that, he left without looking back, Rude following him.

* * *

Arien DeVir realized, in her horror, that she wasn't really in control of her body. No, quite the contrary. She wasn't in control of her body at all. What the hell was going on? 

She tried to move her arms, and her arms refused to move as her brain ordered. Her leg did not take the step forward. Instead, she was moving to the left, a small knife in her hand. Her gunblades were in the locker. You weren't allowed to go in front of the boss armed.

Giorno was reading something in middle of the hall. Fugo was talking to someone else. To her dismay, she kept on walking up to her new boss. What was going on?

"Morning, Arien. What…" He barely managed to catch her hand as the knife came sailing through the air. It cut a thin line on his cheek. Her eyes rolled. What the hell?

Her mouth opened as Giorno fought back. "What the…" he was gasping. "This isn't a woman's strength!" After struggling for a few minutes, he let go of her wrist. The cut on his cheek got deeper, before Giorno smashed her hand against the nearby pillar, then crushed his mouth against hers. The golden metallic robot, his stand, immediately moved, as Arien struggled. Giorno placed an arm around her shoulder, ensuring that she would not break free.

"Mffggggh!" The stand sucked out a long snake out of her mouth. She felt her esophagus being rubbed quite brutally by the scales, and nearly screamed, both in pain and disgust. With a swift click Mista's gun was out, and the snake was torn by the bullets that assailed out from Mista's pistol.

Arien had tears in her eyes, and was gasping. That was the oddest, most disgusting sensation she ever had in her life, including the mako treatments and when she got hit by Reno with Shinra cafeteria's potato salad that was a week old. Giorno placed a hand on her back. "Are you alright?" he asked politely.

"Yes…" she spat out some blood into her hand. Her throat felt raw. "What just happened?"

"Someone had you tagged. Someone wants our blond boy's life," Fugo said nonchalantly. "I guess this means guarding duties when we go out."

Arien wasn't sure if this was a coincidence or she just had a bad karma and was condemned to guarding duties for her life.


	22. 21: Bad Day

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I was in Canada for a week and I just came back. Couldn't really write while on the road. But I'm back!

RaspberryPolarBear - If you feel sorry for Reno in the last chapter, you'll need a box of cleenex in this one. Man, their lives just SUCK. They SUCK. Really bad. I'm evil. Muwahahahaha. But this one's a good one, I promise. And it's canon. Taken directly off from the movie. Ha. I rock.

Insanity - Cloud really reminds me of chocobos. Sorry, but that hair is just uncalled for. It defies gravity and it defies good sense. I'm amazed that nobody in the game or the movie called him a Chocobo. I would. And I think Reno would too, if he came around to it.

Echo - Here's your update. Now gimme all your money. (j/k) I dunno if they'll ever me together again. I mean, that might be hard right now. But all will be revealed soon enough. I'm bringing my pace back up to chapter a week. Their life sucks, but if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.

ODSTgirl 058 - I don't know why I wrote that last part. I was probably high on caffeine and thought it cool or something. Reno took thirty pills from the bottle, which was the entire bottle. Elena's checking Reno out! Haha. I have a thing for guy's collarbones and hoodies. Oh well.

cookiekitten - well, Rufus is going to fall off, Cloud is going to ride his bike like a hot-ass he is, and Reno's just going to be Reno. I am not hojo! Call me Sephiroth's Daddy instead. (Although it defies genetics that such a hottie came from that large tadpole... seriously.)

NarcissisticRiceball - thanks! Reno isn't used to rejection, I guess. He's used to women throwing themselves at him. And he can't really think of why Arien would reject him. Poor Reno. He's utterly confused and he's in for a bad day. Thankfully, Rude's around to keep him out of serious trouble.

Reaping but Never Grim - awww! Thanks! You're going to need kleenex for this chapter. (Hands everyone a box) I think this is going to be the climactic chapter of the entire story. But there's still more in the later part, don't worry. The story's not quite over yet.

The ruler doesn't work, so I'm going to improvise instead.

----------------

Chapter 21: Bad Day

Renaldo Miller, AKA Turk Extraordinaire and a womanizer and a drunk, was definitely in for the bad day. He had just recovered from his attempted suicide, determined to forget about the woman who had turned his life inside out and upside down, snagged a drink, hauled a full grown woman up the stairs and more, nearly got lectured by that very baggage he had hauled, and crashed into a bed without even feeling any remorse. And now, there was a ruckus going on outside. He raised his head sleepily, and squinted at the alarm clock. It read 10:40 AM. Too early for anything. He deserved a fucking break.

He ambled over and pulled the curtains to the side, then wondered if he was still dreaming.

People were running, but from what or who, he had absolutely no idea. The truth was, he didn't even want to know. They were running to and fro, this way and that, here and there, like scattered grains of small spiders fleeing from water. He absently rubbed his bare neck, then realized that he was topless and that was the reason he was cold, and grabbed a shirt. Then he went to get the phone, which was ringing hysterically. The morning had turned into a hysterical panic dream.

Or not.

"'ello?" Reno murmured into the phone, pushing his red mane away from his face to no avail. The red strand of hair decided to flop back into its original position, where it sat complacently on his nose. He blew on it. It refused to budge. He gave up.

"Reno?" It was Elena. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Ya mean, the chaos outside or the banging headache? It's no to either of them."

"I see." Elena paused.

"Why, yo?"

"We can see the entire mess in the city center from Healin. Tseng wants you and Rude to investigate. Rufus has gone to the city to see one of the trio, and we need to have him safe."

"What the fuck!" He yelled. "Gimme a fucking break, yo. I need a break. I mean it."

"Hey, don't yell at me," came back Elena's injured voice. "Blame Tseng. Rude's coming over in ten minutes. He's just as bad-tempered as you are, so don't dillydally, okay?"

"Whatever."

"I mean it."

"Okay, bitch."

"What!" Reno slammed down the phone before he could hear Elena's swearing. Unlike Arien, she just couldn't get the exact rhythm right. Swearing was the art that Elena hadn't mastered; and he seriously doubted that she ever will. He blew on the hair again, then buttoned the shirt and then began his quest to find his slacks.

It took five minutes to unearth his slacks, and he found that it was hopelessly rumpled. Oh well. He pulled it on, frowned as he belted the leather, realizing that he had lost some weight. He was just pulling on his jacket when the doorbell rang.

"Okay, okay! Sheesh," he muttered as he flew down the stairs and opened the door. Rude was standing there, his shades firmly on his nose, his face expressionless. "Wait there for a sec," Reno told him. "Gotta go find my nightstick. Be back in a moment."

The EMR was propped up in the room. He touched the handle with familiarity, taking comfort in the weight. The leather wristband felt comfortable, the familiar weight in his hand a welcome. It meant security, it meant being a Turk. It meant himself, his identity.

"Okay," he called as he trotted down the stairs. "Let's go."

It was not difficult to find the hub of the chaos. It was the monument Rufus had raised in the middle of the town. The trio – minus the little kid – was pulling on the chains from the top, which absolutely puzzled Reno. Looking over to Rude, he found that Rude was wearing an identical expression, plus the shades. "Let's go ask what the hell they're doing," he said.

Rude nodded.

The two walked over – in Reno's case, sauntering was more precise – where the tall man-woman and the macho were pulling on the chains. "Watcha doin', yo?" Reno asked sarcastically.

"Mother's here, isn't she?" The man-woman answered. Before Reno could open his mouth, Rude spoke up.

"What makes you think that?"

Surprisingly, Macho answered. "This… uh, what, monument?" He sounded unsure, and Reno made a mental comment that if he was any slower, he'd have to be watered twice a week. "Shinra made it."

"Huh hum!" Reno mused. "So you guys used your brains, yo." He made it sound like he was utterly astonished.

"But… you're off." Rude's deep voice was emotionless.

"We don't know either, yo."

"Oh. Trust rate zero, huh." Man-woman replied sarcastically. This set Reno off. He looked at Rude, who looked away. He opened his mouth. Then looked back at Rude. He was still looking away. He looked back at the two.

It was time to stop thinking (not that he was in the first place) and take some action. With a yell, he swung his EMR.

It was then that he heard a terrible roar. Automatically, he looked up – hitting Rude's nose, not the silver-haired duo, in the process – and wondered for the umpteenth time if he had too much to drink the night before.

It was a Bahamut. Except that it was the biggest he had ever seen. And throughout his days as a Turk in Shinra Company, he had seen his share of it.

"This is…" he mouthed. Rude finished the sentence.

"Impossible."

He turned, nearly hitting Rude again, and started to run. He damn well knew when to run. Like, right now.

He fled, Rude hot at his heels. His first and the foremost priority was to get the hell away from the monster as fast and as soon as possible.

So he surprised himself when he saw a kid, standing comatose, and stopped to grab her. The child resisted furiously, inserting her slender fingers up his nostrils. That hurt like hell.

"Ow!" he mouthed, then carried the child anyways, and started to run. Rude was behind him, two children in his arms, running furiously, but not as fast as he would have liked.

"Is it comin'?" He yelled at his dark-skinned partner.

"I don't want to see!" Rude yelled back. Just then, Reno caught a brilliant light behind him. He dived, child in his arms. Then the world exploded around him for the second time in his life, and he knew no more.

----------------

Arien DeVir screamed into her brand-new cell phone. "Absolutely not!" She shouted. "You're going to get yourselves killed." Her old clothes had been discarded, and she was in black now, fitted to her body like a sheath. Her right arm was bare, cut from the shoulder, making it easier for her to gain access to her weapons. Spy, gang, they were the same thing. It was just that spies were officiated and gangs were not. But the job was the same.

"I am not joking," she said crossly, leaning onto a tall pillar nearby. The underground hideout was certainly lavish. "It's an absolute mess, and I can assure you, the Turks had nothing to do with it. Besides, since when are you the peacekeeper of the town?" She listened, a small frown etched on her face. Then she barked into the phone, "Kadaj is setting you up! No, the Turks are not attacking! Besides, attacking the Turks is a suicide mission. Trust me, I used to be one of them." She rolled her eyes as she heard the response. "You want me to go take down the redhead? Are you mad?" After a few minutes, she shut the phone with such a snap that it echoed throughout the cavernous hall.

"What's wrong?" Fugo asked as he saw Arien's face livid. She whirled to face him, her hair flying.

"Your boss wants me to take down the Turks Ace. I'm probably going to end up dead." She snapped. "I don't find the prospect of an upcoming death very pleasing. It's not conducive to longevity."

Fugo laughed. "Really, DeVir. How bad can it be?"

"He can take down four of me for breakfast and not break out a sweat. It can be extremely bad."

"Ah," Fugo said pleasantly, "but that was before you discovered _Pink Floyd_, wasn't it?"

Arien stared. Then she turned on her heels and stormed away. "That doesn't help my mental status," she retorted loudly as she walked away from the tall blond.

"What did I say?" Fugo wondered out loud.

----------------

Reno's eyes opened, and he hastily assured himself that he was definitely not dead. He was lying on the asphalt. The kid was gone. Oh well. He probably squashed her. He wasn't fat, but he was much bigger than the kid. He moved his hand, hearing the ringing noise of metal on the asphalt and propped himself up groggily.

Then he heard that snide voice, and the child was instantly out of his mind.

"Hey, isn't it fun?" Man-woman taunted.

"Not… at all, yo!" Reno was getting pissed off, to say the least. Without thinking, his leg launched into a kick, which Man-woman dodged. He attempted to kick again; for some reason, he wasn't running into anybody. Then a punch. Then a swing.

Unfortunately, Man-woman seemed to be more agile than he looked. He easily dodged all Reno's attacks and a foot landed on Reno's face. Ow.

But the redhead was too incensed to give up. He ran back toward the sneering Man-woman. "You guys are really stubborn, yo!" He yelled angrily. He was really getting pissed off.

Then the Man-woman made an impossible jump onto a nearly building – or something – and replied, "I told you, if you just give Mother back, it will be the end of this." His – or her – silvery hair fluttered in the breeze. Definitely Pantene, Reno decided lamely. What a pansy.

Reno ran to the building and started to climb. In his fury, the speed doubled. The last stretch was more of a jump, and he swung his EMR just as he landed… but the Man-woman dodged again. Freakish bastard.

Reno caught Rude flying through the air from the corner of the eye, and his brain registered that Rude was not supposed to fly; but the Man-woman was blocking all his attacks and he was getting preoccupied, so he did absolutely nothing about it. "This Reunion or whatever, are you guys sane!" He taunted.

"We just want to see our Mother," the Man-woman replied calmly, then kicked Reno across the street. Luckily he landed on Rude, but still it hurt like hell. He stood up and dusted himself off, stepping on Rude's spiffy shades due process, then dusted himself off a little more. Rude voiced a protest but Reno wasn't listening. The bald Turk gave up and produced another pair of shades. With Reno around, one never knew when something got destroyed. You just had to be ready.

"Ya know, you keep calling it Mommy, but it's just Jenova's head," Reno pointed out. Rude winced. Not the best thing to say to the silver-haired duo.

"Hey!" Macho called in.

"Don't call Mother like that!" the Man-woman said angrily.

"Unforgivable!" The Macho added in.

"Our bad." Rude tried to placate the two. Reno looked at Rude.

"I guess… wait, why the hell are we saying sorry?" Reno broke into a run then launched a kick midair, while Rude launched a solid heading and a punch into Macho's face. The two flew backwards. Reno grinned and gave a thumbs-up as he landed onto the ground.

Then as the redhead stood up, Macho punched Reno in the face, who landed into Rude, who staggered backward. They flew a couple of yards backward, and landed on the ground painfully.

But that wasn't the end. Reno and Rude still stood up. They went back to back as the silver-haired duo closed in.

Then the light exploded in the distance. Rude and Reno both looked toward the direction, and they both saw a big winged thing falling from the sky.

"Bahamut," Rude mouthed. Reno nodded.

"Time to go," Man-woman said. Reno sputtered.

"What?"

"This was a bit of fun," Man-woman explained with a sneer on his face. "Our little brother is doing the most important work."

Reno and Rude looked at each other again. One thing was on their mind:

Rufus.

----------------

"_The fateful encounter is near."_

"_Ah."_

"_Either way, the raven-haired one is doomed."_

"_Either way?"_

"_Either way."_

----------------

Arien could not believe this. She just couldn't. Someone was having a sick laugh at her expense. This was impossible. It just couldn't be true.

She was to kill Renaldo? What a sick joke.

First of all, she would end up being in the ditch, not him. Drunk or not, Reno was still the ace of the Turks. His combative ability added to his slyness was nearly legendary among the Shinra officers, whether anyone liked it or not. Second of all, even if she could, she could not kill him. Ever. She had sacrificed everything for him, and she just couldn't do it.

Oh god.

As she holstered her gunblades and sheathed her knives, a large tear rolled down her face. She did not even realize it until it fell onto the brown table in the weaponry room, but when she saw a large drop fall onto the table, she moaned.

"Reno, where did we go wrong? And what can I do?"

----------------

"Boss!"

Rufus was falling, but not without a fight. He was liberally emptying his shotgun – double barrel, and he was shooting it one-hand, which defied everything Reno knew – at Kadaj. But without much success.

Kadaj's extended fingertips touched the black box. The very black box that had nearly killed Tseng and Elena. Kadaj grabbed the box. Tucked it in, rolled into a ball, then landed onto the ground.

While Tseng and Elena shot the nets. Rufus was safely caught in it. Rude and Reno breathed again.

Then the silver-haired trio fled for some reason, but that was out of Reno's concern. His current – and only – concern was the white-robed president, lying in the net in mid-air.

----------------

"I want you two to give help to Cloud," Rufus said.

Reno stared at his boss, but did not say anything. That was an unlikely thing for Rufus to say. But then, Rufus was probably calculating the benefit of befriending the Chocobo Head, and came out in the positive range. Trust Rufus to analyze the world in simple arithmetic.

"You may use the Shinra chopper."

Healin was safe and quiet, unlike the pandemonium down below. Elena was sitting next to Tseng on the sofa behind Reno and Rude.

"I don't care what you do, but you must deter Yazoo and Loz," Rufus continued. "They're on the expressway. Find them, and stop them. That will be all."

The Turks walked out of Rufus' room in a daze. Then Reno grinned evilly, and glanced at his partner.

"So, partner, how are we gonna do it?"

Minutes later, Reno and Rude were standing on the expressway, a Shinra chopper behind them.

"Hey, mate," Reno glanced at Rude, "Is this thing powerful?"

"It's a crystal of Shinra's technology," Rude replied.

"You made it?"

"Putting aside the power, it's flashy." He flashed a grin at the redhead. "You like it, don't you, partner?"

"Uh oh." Reno faced forward. "Guess won't be working overtime, yo." He set the timer to two minutes, then backed away. Rude did the same.

The black figure was approaching, the head definitely resembling a large chocobo. Cloud. Reno ignored him. Their target was the one following the Chocobo Head.

He grinned as the tandem motorcycle approached. He grinned happily. Time for the payback, and payback was a bitch.

"Boom," Reno mouthed.

----------------

Kadaj saw flashes of purple and blue lights and looked up. What the hell was going on?

Then Cloud rained from the sky, and the thoughts of flashy fireworks escaped his brain.

----------------

Reno's day wasn't over by a long time yet. With Rufus' order taken care of, they had taken the chopper back to the Edge. Rude was taking the chopper back to Healin. Reno was going to walk.

Until, that is, he heard a shot whiz by his face.

He immediately stopped his gait and looked to the left. It was an empty alley, dingy and dirty just like all other alleyways, and quite empty by the looks of it. But Reno knew better. He tensed, slowed his breathing, and waited.

Then launched into a run into the alleyway.

A shot grazed past, cutting open his forearm. A thin line of crimson appeared, but Reno ignored it. Someone was trying to kill him. Goddamn it, was it "Pick on Reno Day" or something?

He saw a movement to the right. Pulling out his own pistol and readjusting the EMR in his hand, he followed it into an open parking lot, long deserted.

Then he groaned.

Nightmare.

He knew the chiseled face which was staring at him, the blue-green eyes cold and distant. He had loved the face. He had kissed the lips for many times, sucked on it, loved it. He had caressed the delicate cheekbones, seen it melt under him. He knew the raven hair that framed the pale face, the intensity of the stare. He knew every inch of the body.

But he did not know that he was going to be the receiving end of the bullet.

"Arien," he whispered. He saw the hard icy shell around her tremble and crack, but she regained her posture. She raised her arm – right arm, artfully bare, the very arm that had received him only a few months before –

And fired.

Reno dodged to the right, threw himself onto the ground. While at that, he pulled the trigger.

Arien dodged to his left. Another shot rang. Then another.

A bullet embedded itself into his left arm. Grimacing, he shot again, pretending to aim toward the left, then suddenly changing his course. Arien, thrown off, dodged to his right.

He could not expect it. No way. But the bullet had left the gun, sliced through the air, spinning, and landed onto Arien's black leather-clad breast.

And cut through it like a hot knife in butter.

Reno screamed. Although he tried not to, he screamed, as he dropped the gun. She had left him. She had abandoned him.

But he had killed her.

He could only stare as Arien's booted legs crumbled under her. Her hair swayed like a curtain over her. For him, everything moved like it was in slow-motion. Then Arien crumpled.

It was starting to rain, Reno noticed. Then realized that it was in his eyes. Hot tears ran down his face.

Arien.

Then his cell phone rang.

----------------

Reno met up with the rest of the Turks and Rufus in the alley very close to wear Arien lay. Reno had just walked away. That was what a Turk was supposed to do. Arien he had loved had loved him partly because he was a Turk. He guessed that Arien he loved would expect him to walk away.

It was raining, a healing, soothing rain. He looked up as he walked, then turned. Elena, Tseng, Rude, Rufus were all there. Reno hoped that they wouldn't notice he was crying. It was so… un-Renoish. The rain would hide the tears. As something always hid his tears.

"Hey," Elena said gently, "You okay?"

Reno nodded, unable to speak. He took his place beside Rude, and watched as Rufus' Geostigma was gently healed by the soft rain.


	23. 22: Goddamn You, Arie

ODST girl058 - DUN DUN DUNNNN! Is she dead? Maybe. Perhaps. Most likely. I don't know any resurrection spells, so if she's dead, then we won't have Tseng doing voodoo on her. Besides, Reno would kill him if Tseng dressed as the Haitian magician and did funky stuff to her. Ha. Imagine that.

CookieKitten - As I said, probably she's dead. Hey, I'd be dead if someone shot me through the chest. I'm sorry Reno, I just killed your girlfriend. (ducks as Reno swings his EMR) Oh well. Stuff happens. Can't help it. But it'd suck to be either Reno or Arien. I love making my characters miserable...

Echo - This happens. Yeah. Can't tell you much more, mate. Sorry 'bout that. All I can say is that there's definitely a sequel coming up. It stars Vincent as one of the active characters this time, as well as Rufus (NUMBER 1 I WANNA MARRY HIM GUY!) So keep a watch out for it. It's good.

Raspberry Polar Bear - Unfortunately, the entire AC sequence ended last chapter, so now I'm on my own. DAMN YOU, ENIX! Yeah, Arie got shot. The irony, too. Reno, you MURDERER! Yes, I suck. I get that often from Reno. He hates the way everything falls apart around him in the story.

ReapingButNeverGrim - Hey, who knows, maybe Reno's kinky like that. I definitely don't want to test out the theory out, though. If you find out, please tell me. It'd save a lot of brain-wrangling and "arrrgh!"s of frustration that echo throughout the house in midnight. Reno is feeling guilty. Reno is guilty...

NarcissisticRiceball - It can't be Pantene. Pantene makes hairs lustrous in the ads, and Yazoo's hair isn't shiny. Sorry Yaz, your hair needs a little more work. What I want to know is why my hair looks like a nest at the end of the day when it's down and Sephiroth can do pirouettes and manage to get no tangles.

insanity - no, the story is not almost finished. (cries) There's a sequel coming up, starring Reno, Vince, Rufus, e.t.c. So nope, this series isn't finished. And there's also going to be a prequel. I don't think the kid stuck her fingers up his nose. At least, I wouldn't. (EWW) But I thought that'd be funnier.

Sorry guys for the late update. School started, and my computer choked and keeled over last night.

-----  
Chapter 22: Goddamn You, Arie

Arien woke up and wondered why on earth she was lying on a bed. Physicians in lab coats with clipboards were all around her. And to her horror, she was stark naked. Her memory instantly went back to the time when she was captured by Hojo's mad follower, but then she looked at the equipment and sighed in relief. It didn't look like some mad experiment. Just a regular hospital.

A plastic mask was placed over her mouth, and there were tubes sticking into her arm that caused pain when she moved. She sighed and closed her eyes. Whatever would happen would happen. She just could care less.

She fell into the warm, velvety darkness that enveloped her.

-----

Trrr, trrrr.

"What!" Reno barked, irritated, into the phone. A lot of things irritated him right now. He had just got out of the bed with a random girl he picked up, only to realize that he… just couldn't do it. He kept seeing Arien under him instead of the blond girl he had picked up – Devvie, she said her name was – naked, her raven hair spread on the pillow, her lips parted half-way. Finally, he had yelled at the girl to get the fuck out of the house. He had then promptly fell asleep.

"Mr. Miller?"

Nobody called him Mr. Miller. Everyone called him Reno or Re. Arien occasionally called him Renaldo. His parents called him Rennie (his mother) or Ren (his father). Nobody used his last name. No one.

"Mr. Miller?"

"This is," he replied, controlling his voice. _Keep cool, Reno_, he told himself. _Don't let him know that you're a Turk… or potentially dangerous._ "May I help you?"

"I believe you can, Mr. Miller." For some reason that reply struck him as exorbitantly snobbish. "Do you know a woman by the name Arien DeVir?"

Reno dropped the phone.

"Mr. Miller?" the phone was saying. "Mr. Miller?"

"Yes, yes, I know her," Reno replied after he switched the phone to speaker, too lazy to pick the handset up.

"Good. I can't seem to track down any of the others. I'm very sorry to inform you, but she did not survive the treatment. The bullet was taken out, but she didn't last through. She ah… passed away last night."

Reno stopped his hand from lighting a cigarette. "She… was living?"

"Just barely. Scans showed that she carried Geostigma, which was cured under that curious rain. But her body gave up." The voice was very impersonal. He realized that he was slowly crumbling the cigarette in his hand, and dropped it like it was on fire. Still, the leaves clung to his fingers.

So Arien had lived. She had watched – or heard – Reno walk away. She had felt the soothing rain which had relieved her of Geostigma. She had Geostigma. She had felt the blood drip out of her, unable to stop it, unable to do anything. And she never told him. Someone probably found her, took her to the hospital. Where she went through a surgery. And died. Geostigma didn't kill her. He did.

"Mr. Miller?" The impersonal voice drifted from the set. "Would it be possible for you to come here to retrieve the body? You were the only one we could get in contact with."

"Uh… yeah, sure," he replied absently. "I'll be there."

-----

Picking up the corpse of his lover was one thing. Setting up a funeral was another. Going against Wutai traditions, he refused to have her cremated. He just couldn't bear the thought of watching that beautiful body, the body which had given him pleasure and joy, burn to ashes. He just couldn't do it.

There weren't too many people to invite. Shiv and the group came, of course; then Arien's father, and the Turks. Myers DeVir had aged another decade by his elder daughter's death, but when Reno told him the truth, he only nodded and whispered, "Thank you."

"Why thanks?" Reno had asked curiously, a little guiltily, facing the seaside. Her grave was to be on a cliff that faced the sea, the very nature that Arien had always loved. Myers shrugged.

"Arien would not have wished to die by giving into the illness. Dying by the hands of someone she loved would have been her wish. Your hands."

"But that's selfish," he said angrily. "I get the guilt. She's dead."

"Arien was selfish," Myers agreed. "But that was her wish." He dug his hand into the front of his kimono and produced a large envelope. "From Arien."

Reno took it without a word and walked away, to see her for the last time, to say farewell. Arien was dressed in a pale, white gown that was half-sheer; her hair was brushed and on her shoulders. She looked as if she was asleep, with a slight smile on her face. Her eyes were closed, but he remembered the icy hue of her irises. Her mouth was closed.

"Final see," the funeral person said quietly.

Reno bade goodbye to his lover silently, without a word. A hot tear rolled down his face, and he blinked to keep a clear focus. He didn't understand why he was crying. He was done with crying, really. He was done. Besides, she was just another woman. Another name in the long list of those who had shared his bed.

He tossed a single lily into her coffin, then walked away, unable to watch the crew nail down the coffin lid and bury her into the ground. He wanted the last memory of her to be the sleeping face of her, not the fact that she was getting buried. He sat on the cliff – away from the edge – and after making sure that everybody else was engrossed in the funeral procedure, he opened the envelope.

Inside it were sheaves of paper, with dark blue-black writings on them. They were beautiful calligraphy, the precise handwriting that he knew so well. The i's were dotted, t's lined. Some of the words were blurred as if the writer had cried, but it was still legible. After making up his mind, he began to read:

_Dear Reno,_

_By the time you're reading this it's either I'm with you or I'm gone. I understand if you hate me – I would hate you too if you just walked off like I did – and I don't ask for forgiveness. I really don't. What's forgiveness to the dead anyways? And if I'm with you, you've probably forgiven me. But I think you deserve the truth, because I wasn't truthful before. That's one thing I learned as I thought about our relationship – most problems occur between couples because they aren't completely honest to each other. Oh well, what can I do? Hopefully you'll be completely honest with your next girl, if you weren't with me._

_Virginity meant a lot to me. It would be the first time for me; the one who would have my virginity was probably going to be someone special for me. You're probably frowning because I sound like a hopeless romantic, but it's true. I didn't pick you because you seemed to be "good" about it; how would I know? I honestly don't know why I picked you, but I don't regret my choice. I was afraid that night – remember? – that I would regret giving it up to you, but for some reason, although I expected you to treat me like a one-night-stand and walk off to your next conquest, I didn't regret it. Such is your charm, I guess._

_The true reason why I walked off was because I believed I was a fatal danger to all of you – Tseng, Rufus, Rude, Elena – and especially you. I should have told you, but I didn't, which is my mistake. Rufus knew about this, but nothing else. Well, half of it._

_I had Geostigma, and unlike Rufus, mine was progressing rapidly. You're probably wondering why you never saw the tell-tale marks, although you saw me naked many times. I had the tell-tale marks on my scalp. The time I keeled over in the shower? That was Geostigma. I didn't want to worry you – and it was a very juvenile choice – so I didn't say anything. Rufus didn't say anything either. He found it out by accident – I didn't tell him. _

_Remember the time in Costa del Sol when a very odd hook lanced through my wrist? It turned out that the hook transmitted a certain kind of virus. Totally harmless when alone – but it turned my Geostigma into something extremely viral. I was also having visitations by a certain relative who was threatening to harm you and the rest of the Turks if I didn't divulge the information about Jenova's location (and no, it's not my Father. You won't believe who my relative is – or was, I'm hoping). I couldn't stay. I had to leave._

_I tried to make you hate me so it'll be easier on me – and I was hoping also on you. I probably screwed _that_ up. But to be honest, that last night was the most bittersweet moment in my life. I was with you for the last time. _

The last few lines looked like a scrawl rather than a neat handwriting, but Reno read on anyways.

_It's 1:00 AM right now, and I'm given command by the group which is hiding me to kill you. I know I won't be able to. It's a misunderstanding, so please don't go hunt them down. _

_I love you. I was never able to say it ever. But I say it now, as my last words to you. I love you. I love you so much, not in the rosy kind of way, but I feel terribly incomplete without you. I love you. I love you, I love you…_

_Arien_

"Goddamnit!" Reno yelled, ripping the grass out from beside him in fury. "Goddamn you, Arie. Why couldn't you tell me? Goddamn you!"

Hot tears were now rolling down his cheeks freely without restraint. He did not even realize it. "You loved me. And I can admit it, I loved you. I still do. Your friggin' mistake cost both of us, Arie!" He shouted. Then he stood up. He looked into his right hand, which kept ripping at the grass. In his hand was a single clover flower, one of Arien's favorite flowers. "It's so small," she used to say. "Insignificant but still trying to look beautiful, to live. Just like me."

He tossed the flower into the swirling ocean below. It drew a white arc and disappeared into the blue. He felt a light breeze on his cheek, and looked in surprise.

He had a vague feeling that a soft hand had touched his cheek – or perhaps a pair of lips. But when he looked, it was gone.

-----

Arien DeVir felt the excruciating pain in her chest and opened her eyes. It took a while to figure out where she was; it looked like she was in a box. Why the heck was she in a box?

She had to think quickly. She was suffocating. She could not breathe, and her nightvision was turning crimson. She clawed at the box, and to no avail.

"Pi… Pink Floyd!" She gasped, unsure of if she could actually do anything in emergency. She had been trained by _Passione_ to use her stand efficiently, but never in an uncontrolled condition. Like now.

Pink Floyd was destructive, and thus she had never used it. It had the ability to literally disintegrate any non-living thing into an atomic level with merely a touch. It also could morph itself into any form.

But she needed to use it now. And very quickly.

Pink Floyd moved fluidly as her thought dictated, and punched a hole without a noise or splinters into the wall. Soil came tumbling down through the hall and she clamped her mouth shut. So this was how it was. She was buried underground. And alive.

She urged her doppelganger to obliterate the soil, and it did. She clambered out of the pit.

It was cold; the wind bit into her skin. And she was dressed in a very flimsy gown. Above her head, stars twinkled, splashes of diamonds on black velvet. Her hair was down. And by her head was a large stone. Her gravestone.

She wondered where she was, and vaguely thought that it reminded her of Wutai. It probably was, then. She began to walk under the starlight and the moonlight, her bare feet treading on the grass and the hard ground. She shivered in the cold.

As she walked down the cliff, she started to see lights. Yes, they were definitely familiar. She knew where she was now. Incidentally, it was the very place her family and she had come to picnic when she was seven. Fancy to be buried in a place where she had a picnic years before. It was Wutai.

She descended the cliff and made way through the empty avenues until she located her destination. Leaning on the wall wearily and rubbing her arms to keep warm, she rang the doorbell, hoping and wishing that the resident would be awake. Or be awakened.

The light flipped on, padding footsteps were heard, there was a clink, and the door opened. Arien sighed as the warmth from the inside rushed onto her. It was very cold.

Myers DeVir stared at his dead daughter, wondering if he was having a nightmare.

"Father," the ghost pleaded, "I'm very cold. It's freezing outside. I'm not dead, but I will be if you leave me to fend for myself out here. May I please come in?"

"But… but…" he pointed at her. "You are dead."

"I wasn't, obviously." She was getting irritated. "Could I please come in? I would really die if I stay out here."

Myers stepped aside, wondering if he wasn't inviting in a ghost. He decided that he really didn't care. The white, slender figure walked in, her feet bare. Her cheeks were pale, and her lips were nearly blue.

"It's warm in here," the figure commented.

"Are you really Arien?"

"I hope so," the figure replied thoughtfully. "I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, but I'm extremely tired."

Myers nodded.

"I was in a coma and I was legally dead by all means. I came back to life in the coffin." She shook her head wearily. "Who gave the funeral?"

"Your boyfriend. I gave him your letter."

"Ah." She threw her pale feet in front of the fire. "I see." She shook her head again. "Poor Reno. I'm cured of Geostigma, but he thinks I'm dead." She threw her head back suddenly and laughed loudly, but tears were streaming down her face. "Poor Reno…"


	24. 23: Always a Chance

I am hating college apps. Not only am I applying to US colleges, I'm applying to UK and Japan as well. My life is sucking more than Arien/Reno's...

NarcissisticRiceball - heh, that was my first idea. I'll just kill Arie off and have Reno mope for a bit and then he goes off to do another girl. But then I thought about writing a sequel, and it wasn't going to work out. Resurrecting Arien from the pits took some thought. Weird chapter was a very popular comment. And yes, I know, this story was supposed to end with the funeral. But it didn't. She's alive... (damn)

ODST girl058 - Your thoughts will be answered in this chapter. Weird is quite the right word to describe the last chapter. I'll be posting (after review thanks) what went on in very few, short terse sentences, so everything will be cleared up. As I said before, in my original plan of this story Arien was supposed to remain quite dead, but then I didn't know how to do the sequel to this. So I resurrected her.

Echo - that's right. She was legally dead for about 5 days, I assume. And then she started breathing again. It's a medical miracle, and since Jesus wasn't around, don't ask me how. If it comes to the worst, I'll just blame Sephiroth. Poor silver-haired Adonis seems to be responsible for everything that defies logic, including Cloud's hair.

Reaping but Never Grim - At least Reno isn't a necrophiliac. Then I'd just kill him off and be done with this story. Alas, I don't think Reno digs for dead people. Poor Reno is acting quite obnoxious in this chapter. But then, Reno is always obnoxious to someone at some time. So it makes me wonder what Arien sees in him. I'd be kicking him out of my house if he was my boyfriend.

CookieKitten - Your confusion will be solved very soon, hopefully. I'll be putting a review of the previous chapter because it weirded out/confused many people. It confused me too, because it wasn't supposed to happen like that, but it did. Oh well. What can I say? Honestly, the last chapter wasn't very well written in my opinion. But hey, I have slumps. This chap is better.

Insanity - my classes suck. I love Physics, and people around me are always talking. I want to smack them, and I guess this is how Tseng feels all the time. Poor Tseng. College apps are making my life miserable as well. I can understand why Reno hates paperwork. You can only write your name so many times before you start to see hallucinations and feel like you're on vodka and amphetamine. (Not that I've tried...)

Princess Starr - You got a job? Good for you! I'm such a lazy bum that I don't work ever. I just mooch off my parents and make their life miserable. I love spending money as far as it's not mine... not that I can, anyway, I'm constantly broke and currently I have 12 cents in my wallet. Hey, as far as you read my story, I'll love you. And occasionally leave a review, so I know that you're reading my story.

Here's the review that's long-awaited.

Review: Reno discovered that Arien died in the hospital, not when he killed her. He gave her a nice funeral in Wutai. Arien's father gave Reno the letter Arien wrote to him before she died, explaining why she had left him. Reno was quite depressed.

A few days after the burial, Arien came back to life. (She was comatose, so to speak.) She used Pink Floyd, which can disintegrate non-living thing to atomic levels, and got out of the coffin. She went to her father's house for shelter.

And here's where the story picks up.

-----

Chapter 23: Always a Chance

Rufus Shinra was feeling awfully melancholic. After arguing about the merits of rebuilding the Shinra Company from scratch – and dealing with something that Rufus was completely inexperienced – with Reno and telling him that there was always another chance, he promptly had Tseng escort the redhead out of his room. Reno left with a very ugly scowl on his face. And now it was raining, and he was feeling nostalgia and melancholy. He didn't exactly know why as he stared out the window, down to the forest which shielded the entrance to Healin Lodge.

"Sir?"

Tseng Uzuki had been a loyal subordinate, a good friend to Rufus. Reno was fun, Rude was reliable, but Tseng was loyal to the bone. "Tell me, Tseng."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever loved anyone?"

Tseng was startled, taken aback at this question. "Loved, sir?" He reiterated. "I don't believe so, sir. May I inquire why?"

"I think I have," Rufus said absently. He touched the window with his fingertips, his breaths drawing white mist on the pane. "It is difficult to say… Say, Tseng, how far have we gotten with Sephiroth?"

"We're nearly finished, sir. Arien DeVir's bloodline proved to be a substantial contribution to his genetic encoding, which may point out the reason why Sephiroth had such immense powers. We are nearly done coding Arien DeVir's gene. Thankfully she left the cell samples before she died. Although she does not have Jenova's cells, she received the same kind of mako treatments, which may have caused similar genetic mutations."

"Tseng," Rufus said suddenly, "all of your Turks have received sufficient mako treatments, enough to alter the gene pools. It was a sheer dumb luck that DeVir was able to procreate with that idiot, not to mention a miracle. They shouldn't have been able to in the first place. I've never received mako treatments… does it make you feel any different? Be honest here."

"Yes sir," Tseng said complacently, but Rufus could tell that he was slightly vexed with such question. "You're altered forever… I was prepared for it, but I believe the younger you are, more trauma you get. That is why Veld set age limit for Turks applications. Reno was the youngest, and I heard DeVir tell that he still has nightmares occasionally, no doubt DeVir as well. You feel as if you're a mutation of a terrible experiment for the first few days."

"And thus Turks get admitted for the lack of 'moral, mercy, or any remotely human semblance', yes?"

"They say so, sir. But, if I may say so," Tseng replied, "we may be the most humane of the Shinra Company."

"You may go," Rufus waved a negligent hand. When Tseng left, Rufus admitted to himself that Healin without Arien DeVir seemed to be emptier than before. "What am I thinking?" Rufus asked himself. "She is just one of the pawns, that's all."

------

Reno did not come back to Healin or The Edge house that night. He picked up a random girl who foolishly came with him for some reason. After making a very violent love to her, he ordered her to get out of the room.

"You just took me here to fuck me like that? Like that?" The girl shrieked.

"Get out," Reno said tiredly. This was the third one in the week, and he was getting sick of it.

"I fucking hate your guts. I never wanna see you again."

"And I care because…?"

"Fuck you." Slam. Hasty footsteps echoed in the dingy hotel room, as Reno closed his eyes in the unfamiliar bed. He absentmindedly placed his left hand over his eyes, palm outward. Apparently sex wasn't the answer. He uncorked the bottle stashed under the bed, sloshed its contents into his mouth, not really caring that the amber liquid made a lone path down his chin and onto the dirty sheets. God. That bitch. He had stepped into something infinitely sticky and he couldn't get out.

Arien. Thoughts, memories were tangled in his mind around his own. Without his bidding, or even his wish, the memories came back to him, haunting him. They were simple memories, nothing dramatic or romantic, but something very ordinary, like her cooking, washing dishes, ironing, lazing on a deck chair in the garden. Then more memories came to him, perhaps an aftermath of the sex, except that he actually took unusual pleasure in those activities with… her. Call him an chauvinistic dominating jerk, but he liked it when the self-controlled woman completely lost it to him. There was something infinitely satisfying about it.

He remembered her face in vivid detail, each expression engraved in his memories; when she was laughing, when she was happy, when she was sad, when she was angry, when she was annoyed. When she was under him, moving with him, her mouth agape, eyes closed, her fingers tangled in his hair. Her voice, controlled articulations of each word. Her gestures, each one small but precise.

"God!" He shouted, and he sat up. The chill air attacked his naked skin like thousand prickling pins. "Oh god, Arien, why did you do this? Where did we go wrong?"

All he got as the response was silence. Fingering the ring around his neck, he sat, deep in thought, wondering what she was doing now. But she was dead. She was dead, and she was six feet under.

And he had to go on alone. He wasn't sure if he was entirely up for the challenge.

The next morning turned out to be equally hellish. Just as he was getting out of the car and trying to get into the house (the house in the Edge), he felt a spatter of water. Then another. Then another.

"Aw shit," he said, looking up. "Ya know, the rain before was okay. But this is gettin' outta hand."

The rain did not listen. Instead, it just got worse. He was tired. He was tired of old people, young people. He hated everyone.

He opened the door, locked it behind him, ambled upstairs, and collapsed on the bed. Then he promptly fell asleep.

------

Reno was back at the house in The Edge. Unlike the previous times when Arien was gone, it didn't hurt as badly. Arien was truly gone, he killed her with his own hands, it was his finger that pulled the trigger. But in a way, by killing her, Reno had a sick sense of satisfaction that now she was truly his. It was already two weeks, Reno mused. The satisfaction was sickening and grossly perverted, but he felt it nevertheless. Now her body was in Wutai, sleeping an eternal slumber in the place where she loved, but her spirit – her being – still lived in the house, where the things she had touched still existed. When he slept at night he could almost feel Arien sleeping next to him, her face relaxed and easy with the knowledge that he was there.

Reno untangled himself from the sheets. He didn't bring anyone in here. Sure, he slept around sometimes ever since she walked out, but here, here was a sacred place between them; where their child was conceived was probably in this bed; where they cried, laughed, made love. He had fallen asleep in jeans but nothing else, and the chill air caressed his chest, and he shivered. Scratching his head, he stood up and stretched, then stared out the window, where it was raining. He opened the window wide, looking out to the garden and the small path that led from the garden into the streets. The cold smell of the rain was gentle, taking in the fragrances of the plants as they got nourished by the clean rain.

Walking out the bedroom, he stepped into the clean kitchen, poured some milk, and drank it as he popped a slice of bread into the toaster. As he waited, he smoked absently, opening the window above the sink as well. He nearly forgot about the toast as it popped out of the toaster. Throwing away the cigarette into the sink with a flick of a finger, he poured himself another glass of milk, buttered the toast, and took a small bite out of it. The toast's smell, mixed with the butter's, was delicious. Leaning on the counter, he popped in two more slices. He was starving.

As he took the second bite, this one larger, the doorbell rang. He slammed down the glass on the counter, then walked to the back door angrily, wondering who the hell was at the door in this pouring rain. Toast still in his mouth, he removed the chain from its place, turned the lock, grasped the doorknob and turned it left, then drew the door wide open.

The person was already leaving, but her long ponytail made it obvious who she was. She A black turtleneck covered her lithe body. She was wearing jeans, just like the time after when they last connected. She was already walking away, not looking back, her gait firm and sure. He paused, not sure if he should call her name or not – after all, she did use him like trash – and decided that if he lost this chance, there would be no another. He opened his mouth, took a deep breath.

"Arien!"

She turned, showing her pale face. God, she was still exquisite. Her slanted, almond-shaped blue-green eyes, her small mouth. Her elegantly arched eyebrows. zHer eyes narrowed slightly, then returned to its original shape and size. He watched her walk back, her shoes splashing the mud in the heavy torrent of rain. He spoke again when she was barely inches away from him.

"Why the fuck are you here? Tired of your new toy? Homeless? Well, sorry, babe, Reno's not for service tonight."

"No, I didn't come for that." Her voice was composed. She looked up, stared straight into his eyes, her eyes willful and determined. "I do not ask for your forgiveness. Knowing you, that is beyond your capability. But you were uninformed. You weren't given a chance. And I think you deserve the truth." She looked to her left, but Reno could see a small hint of sad smile on her face. "I was dishonest." She looked back at him. "I think it's time for me to be honest. I thought you should know that I'm alive." He felt her gaze. "Not that it matters, it's irreparable now, but I wish we would have ended some other way."

They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Arien broke the stare. "Well," she said, "I should be off. I won't bother you again. But don't let me hold you back, okay? You're entitled to be loved by another. Use that right." She walked a few steps, then turned again. "I love you."

With that, she was walking away. Reno thought that maybe he noticed a glimpse of tears in her eyes.

"Wait!" The toast dropped from his mouth, but he never really noticed. He ran after her as she waited for him, shoulders slightly sagging. Her eyes were calm and composed; her upper body was twisted his way.

"What did you just say?" He said breathlessly, his face inches away from hers. "What did you just say?"

"I said, 'I love you'," Arien replied coolly.

"You fucking liar!"

"Why would I lie?" she asked curiously, but he wasn't going to fall into that ruse.

"Because, if you loved me, why the hell would you say what you said when you left, you bitch? Huh? Care to explain that?"

"I thought I explained that," she replied coolly. Then she walked out in the rain, without an umbrella, her turtleneck quickly getting soaked. She walked out the garden, looking up, as if she was trying hard not to let the tears fall. Then she turned and went down the street without even looking back.

Reno felt sad for some reason, so he retrieved the explanative letter from the table. He pressed the letter to his face, feeling something hot and wet course down his cheeks. It smelled of lavender. Goddamn it. God. He loved her, still. And with this, he was ready to forgive everything. And she loved him.

What a mess.

The ink smudged as moisture landed on the paper. She believed it was too late to change anything. And Reno believed that too. Then, unbidden, Rufus's words came back to him.

_There is always a chance…_

Reno dashed into the bedroom, threw a black shirt on, grabbed the car keys, and ran outside into the pouring rain. His unbuttoned shirt flapped against his skin, and the rain painted rivulets of water down his chest. He didn't care. He cranked up the engine, and sped out of the driveway, his eyes looking for one person.

Arien was walking down the street. She was no longer looking up; she was feeling the rain on her face, walking as she looked forward, as if she was eager to get to her destination – or leave her previous one. The rain that had saved her. It was a little too late, but she was glad that she got rid of Geostigma. As far as she could see, there was no one walking outside. No big wonder there; it was still pouring. The turtleneck she was wearing was soaked now, along with her jeans. She welcomed the water on her skin. It hid her tears. She hated crying.

A loud honk jolted her from her walk, and she turned around. She raised her eyebrow as Reno stuck his head out from the driver's seat window of the silver convertible, and yelled, "Get in!"

"Why!" She yelled back.

"I need to talk to you!"

Arien guessed that if she refused, Reno would just either run her over or chase her in his car, and seeing that she was walking and he wasn't, she stood no chance when it came to a chase. She walked a few steps back, walked in front of the car, opened the passenger seat door, seated herself, and slammed the door shut. Reno turned the hazard light off after pulling up to the side of the street, turned the engine off as well. Arien was staring out the window.

"Arien."

"Hmm?" She turned; he grabbed her and kissed her on the mouth. It was a very eager kiss, and for a moment she wondered what he was thinking. Then she reluctantly drew herself away from him, and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We can't do this, Reno," she said as if she was explaining it to a three-year-old.

"Why not?" No Reno-isms, yo's, idiosyncracies; Reno's eyes were serious, earnest. He looked like a small boy waiting desperately for approval. Her approval. His aquamarine eyes were wide, and his glib, sly smile was gone. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, tell him that everything was going to be okay. But since everything wasn't going to be okay, she didn't do anything.

"Well…" she paused, pursed her lips, and thought. "We got into a big enough mess that we can't really repair it, you know?"

"Why not?" Reno asked as he turned on the engine and pulled out of the spot slowly. "What can't we mend?"

"We hurt each other too much, Reno. It'd be better to just forget about it." It hurt to say it, but it was out. "You'll be better off finding another person who didn't hurt you."

"Don't ever say that!" He shouted, and slammed on the brakes so hard that the tires screeched into an angry halt. She was glad she had remembered to wear a seatbelt. "Look, Arie. Do you love me?"

She was staring out the window, no answer.

"Arie! Answer me!" He reached out a hand and jerked her face toward him. Her eyes gleamed. She could almost feel his warm breath on her face. "Now, tell me truthfully, Arien. Do you love me?"

She said nothing, and her eyes pleaded not to ask. Now that it wasn't her taking the initiative, she was unwilling to repeat that sentence.

"Arie, I'm gonna bug you till you answer."

"I do. I love you, I guess, if that's the precise word." She shrugged.

"Good. Because I want to be with you. You want to be with me. We'll turn back and go back home, you take a shower, maybe we'll have apologetic sex, then we'll start this over. End of discussion."

"No, Reno. We can't do this over. No matter how much we want it." She made it sound final.

"Arie." He turned his head and looked at her. "Arie, you nearly killed me before. Now you're really killing me. Why can't you just be honest with what you want and deal with it?"

"Because that's me," she answered, staring outside the window.

"Arie, you're killing me!" Reno screamed. "I don't beg. I never do, not to Rufus, not to Tseng. I don't do that shit. Ever. But I'm begging you. Right now. We can start over. I'll have the scar you gave me on my arm, and you'll have mine. But we can still start over."

Arien's lips quivered. "I don't know what to do."

"Then you can come back with me. Live with me. No more buts." He looked at her. "And you are not getting out of the car. We're going the wrong way, Arie, and we're going at 100 miles per hour."

"Then why aren't we heading toward the correct direction?" She managed to quip.

Reno laughed. "Maybe I will." He illegally made a U-turn on the highway and went back the way they came. "Ready to go home?"

Arien gave him a shy look, then nodded. Reno nearly laughed at himself. Two years ago, he'd never have done this. He'd never have chased after a woman, screamed at her that she was killing him, never would have begged. Although he changed her, she also changed him. Permanently.

_I serve my head up on the plate, it's only comfort calling late..._

-----

Shower turned out to be a huge affair. Arien insisted on cleaning the house – which took two hours – and then after that she took a shower. It was already one o'clock in the afternoon when she finally came out with a fresh bath towel wrapped around her body. Reno, who was sitting on the edge of a large double bed, looked at her appreciatively, her legs bare and her hair in wet tendrils on her pale shoulders. "That's right," he said, nodding.

"Shut up."

"Mmhmm." He hopped onto his feet. "My turn."

Minutes later he was stepping out of the clean bathroom with a white towel around his hips. Arien was not in the room; but from the smells of it, she was cooking. He grinned slightly. In a few days they would start over again.

Lunch and dinner were casual occasions. Arien changed the sheets on the bed and took a shower again. Reno was again seated on the bed (not on the edge this time), and lamplight shed a gentle, dark honey-colored light in the room. He was in boxers and nothing else. Arien, yet again with a bath towel wrapped around her and her hair wet, blushed as he watched her move. Her hair melted into fiery auburn in the soft light, and the shadows cast gentle silhouettes on her pale skin.

"Mmm," he grinned slightly as she sat down perpendicular to him. He wrapped his bare arms around her and pulled her slowly into him. She sighed slightly as she let herself go. She let his hands touch her, heard him whisper, kiss her.

Sex was a strange thing. Last time, it was a mark of farewell. This time, it was the beginning. Arien felt the weight of the body on her, his own face contorted in ecstasy. She didn't wish to take back the past. They'll start over again.

He sighed contentedly, his red hair on his face, and sucked on her lips. This time, she returned the kiss. She touched the slight red crescents on Reno's cheeks.

She loved him. Yes, she could admit that openly and anytime now. She smiled.

"Why smilin', yo?" Reno-ism was back. She looked at him, stared into his eyes. Followed the contours of his delicate face, young, with a boyish grin. With a kiss, she sealed his mouth, laid her head on his chest. It was warm, and moving, steadily with his breaths.

"Nothing." She smiled again to herself, let her hand touch his skin. The ring, back on her finger now and sitting there complacently like it was always there, flashed under the light. "I love you."


	25. 24: Rebuilding

Uh, sorry for the delay, but this chapter is extremely sub-par, because it's a filler. Heh. Next chapter will be ON TIME, and much better! So PLEASE, don't abandon me after reading this chapter!

I nearly cried when I saw 11 or so reviews for the last chapter. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you guys.

ODST Girl058 - Yessss, Reno is out of that odd funk. They're back together. Yey! So we now know who's going to be in the sequel. Arien and Reno of course :-D. Hope you're doing fine with school, because I'm not. I hate school. I hate English. I hate Beowulf. Stupid Beowulf.

NarcissisticRiceball - Haha. Arien changed too, you know. She became... softer. She won't shoot Reno's head when he says something sexist. The last chapter was probably one of my favorites. I planned that scene for SO LONG, so I'm very happy that everyone liked it.

cookiekitten - Errr, this fic is almost over, but a sequel and a prequel is still in line, so no. This series will yet continue. So heh. The prequel will not contain Arien DeVir, however. The next fic will contain Vincent Valentine as well! God, gotta love Vincent.

Echo - here's what happens. Read below :-). This chapter is a filler, though. There'll be a grand fanfare ending type for this fic. This fic was hard... because I had to squish the poor heroine into the storyline. I did my best, though.

Raspberry Polar Bear - this fic is nearly ending... yes... BUT! There's a sequel coming up! So don't worry! Never fear! The next fic will be awesome schwarsome as well. :-D You, my longest reader, deserve a humongous crown... or a cookie. Or a cameo. Or something.

Moonshine's Guide - I tried to portray Rufus as the guy in denial. He kept stealing girls from Reno in the setting :-P. Maybe I'll marry him off in the next fic... or something. I haven't decided. That's a really good idea, though. I feel so bad for him, so he deserves a girl.

Reaping But Never Grim - AWWW, Thanks! I don't have talent, though. I just read a lot. I do. And the last chapter was planned for about 3 months. I think it's one of my best, you know. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. The last scene was cute, I think. :-D

Insanity - Romance can be good, when it's the right person and the right time. Don't jump into it just for it, though. I dunno how it works, but sooner or later the "Mr Right" or "Miss Right" comes by. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, though.

Mister Bigbucks - I'm sorry to disappoint you... this chapter is short and rather sub-par. But it will get better, I promise! Reno's steadily changing into a version 2.0 in my mind... it might be kinda cool to have Reno as a dad. No? Well, at least he won't care about my grades...

GacktLover14 - First of all, Gackt is MINE, damn it! Just kidding. I like his songs, but I don't want him. No, this isn't the end. There's a sequel coming up, and I already have the introduction written out. So watch out for those! We won't have much separations, but still it'll be fun.

As I had said before, sorry for the 5 day delay and the very crappy chapter. I hate it when the writers just stop writing, and I freak out when they're late for couple of days, so if you are out there to kill me I won't blame you. But doooon't Abaaaaandon me! Yes, I have abandonment issues.

* * *

Chapter 24: Rebuilding

"Arien!"

The woman turned, her long hair twirling along with her in the wind. She smiled at him, a gentle smile with lips curving up.

"Come on! I'll take you to the sea. Costa Del Sol, where I used to play, remember? I promised you?"

She shook her head.

"Why not, yo?"

"I can't go back," she said sadly. And then, she raised her arm and shot him…

Reno felt himself sinking into the darkness. Arien's blue-green eyes were sparkling in the darkness, like to gems on a velvet.

…_I'm no longer reflected in those eyes I love, _Reno thought lamely, fighting the pain.

_My voice won't reach you anymore…_

_But…your eyes, the last things I've seen, were more beautiful than a miracle… Arien…_

_It's really pretty, Arien, gleaming, reflecting the sunlight…_

_Just like your eyes…_

"Reno! Reno!"

Eyes fluttered open, and Reno sat up groggily. Arien did not have a gun in her hand. It was a dream. Her white tank top looked almost luminous in the moonlight through the window curtain; her black hair fell onto her collarbone, down between her breasts and onto the duvet.

"What happened?"

"You were dreaming," Arien explained, her voice trembling. "You sounded choked, then you screamed once. I woke you up."

"You were in my dream," Reno said, scratching his head. "You shot me."

Arien said nothing. Mental wounds healed more slowly than physical ones; although both of their bullet wounds were healed, Arien knew that Reno was still having traumas about it.

"Do you want anything?" The soft voice was a whisper in the darkness.

"Stay with me," he replied, burying his face into the nape of her neck. He inhaled her scent, took comfort in it. He was bathing in sweat.

Clock ticked away, marking down the minutes and the hours in silence. Reno felt a pair of soft lips on his skin, just a small peck. He hugged her more tightly, wanting to make sure that she was not a threat to him. She gently raked her hand through his mane.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, before the phone trilled. Reno reluctantly let go, reached over, sighed, and picked it up.

"Reno here."

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

"It's a new combat suit."

"It's about the size of my hand."

"Precisely." Tseng looked at him. "It'll stretch."

"Yeah? And it snaps? And I go naked? No thanks."

Arien's voice floated from the adjacent room. "You are NOT walking around naked, Reno. I know you love to do that."

"It won't snap." Tseng didn't mention that it was extremely uncomfortable in the new elastic combat suit. Sure enough, it was about the size of Reno's hand, its black, rubbery texture unnatural. He could just imagine Reno fitting himself into it and swearing loudly in due process, explaining - quite explicitly too - how it was uncomfortable around his privates. It provided the least amount of thermal control, and it stuck to the skin like gum, but it allowed free movement with minimal weight and most ease. Rufus had bought six of them, although Tseng had no idea who the sixth person could be. It certainly wasn't going to be the president.

Shinra Company was reviving itself, slowly, unwillingly. It still dealt with energy supplies, but with Barret Wallace's discovery, it switched from Mako to oil fields. Rufus knew too well that in twenty years people will start saying that the oil was hurting the planet, but as for now, people were grateful of Shinra Company. It provided jobs and energy and products made using the energy. Shinra had the money to develop the oil fields into a stable energy source, so with much goading and persuasion, Barret Wallace finally gave up and share his discovery with Rufus.

As soon as the business began to expand, the Turks went back to being what they were – assassins. They were good at it, and many rivals were looking at the oil fields with covetous eyes and even hands, and Rufus wanted them discreetly out of the picture. All of a sudden, the Turks found themselves going through one mission after another. Reno grumbled that he thought he was promised an easy job with good pay, but nobody paid attention. Tonight was their 9th mission since the Jenova fiasco in the span of 5 weeks– Tseng kept count – and the first time they were in the new Turks office. It was infinitesimally small compared to their previous one in the Shinra HQ, but it had a full weaponry room as well as ID locks.

"Hey Tseng!" came the rude voice. "What if it won't hold my penis, yo?"

"Reno, your genitals can fit in a matchbox," Tseng retorted. Elena started to chortle. Reno barged out of the room where he was changing, half in the suit and half out of it. His naked torso looked paler against the black.

"I am not gonna to go around looking like a freakish version of Nightcrawler, okay!" Reno shouted. "I'm too cool for that shit."

Arien emerged behind him, buttoning her suit jacket. "Is it supposed to be this uncomfortable, sir?"

"Yes," Tseng replied, making a mental note not to mention how it could get even worse as time passed. Most likely Reno would just strip it off and wear it the wrong way. Or cut holes into it.

"Reno, get in it," Arien prodded. "Come on."

"Only if you fit me in it with your mouth."

Arien raised her eyebrows and walked to the weaponry. Swiping her newly issued card, she placed her fingertips on the scanner. The alarm beeped, the light panel above the door went green. Arien stepped in, and the door slammed behind her.

Tseng pondered, not for the first time, what Arien saw in Reno as he heard Reno screaming his head off that he was not going to walk around in a full body suit. Pulling up his suit to the collar, Reno repeated the steps and stormed into the weaponry room.

Tseng sighed.

* * *

"False alarm. What the fuck!"

Arien sat down tiredly. Apparently Rufus' "emergency mission" was nothing but a false alarm. She felt awfully tired, and the combat suit was less than comfortable. It was bright dawn, and they had just managed to go back home and crawl into bed.

It was bad enough that Arien had to stay after the rest had gone home. Or so she had thought. When she tiredly entered her car and turned on the engine, a very slender hand touched her neck and she nearly shot the culprit into smithereens. Turning around with a gun pointed at the forehead, she realised that the culprit sported flaming red hair. No wonder she never realised; he was still in the combat suit but nothing else, and his pale face and his red hair were the only indications that he existed. Slumped deeply into the back seat, she could not have seen him. Nightvision was in full use, but the front seats quite successfully obstructed the view.

Now Reno was slumped onto the bed, still in the combat suit, too tired to get out of it despite its discomfort. Reno was still slender and muscular, not the steroid kind but the natural type where the muscles built up after years of use. "I ain't gettin' up," Reno declared. "Not until I get sleep."

"Reno," said the woman in black, "you can't go to bed in the suit."

"You can take it off for me. With your sweet little mouth, of course."

Arien stared at him. What was up with his obsession with her dressing - or stripping - him with her mouth? Were all males like this? First he was nice and sweet, and then he went in for the gropes. Apparently testosterones were all that controlled Reno. She vaguely remembered the joke Ivanna had told her when she first started to go out:

"God had created two species, man and woman. There were two body parts left when he was done. First God went to Adam and asked, 'Which one do you want? The first one lets you pee while standing up...'

Adam did not listen to the rest but thought that nothing could be better than to be able to pee while standing up, so he immediately picked that one. So God went to Eve and said, 'I made Adam be able to pee standing up; so I'll give you the brains to think."

Arien had laughed about it. But now, when she thought about it, it wasn't exactly laughable.

"Come on, baby," Reno crooned as she sat there dumbly, furrows between her eyebrows. "Come to daddy. Strip yo' daddy with yo' mouth, yo."

"And your compensation for that exhausting labour?" Arien asked tersely. "I'm as tired as you are, you know."

"I'll strip you with my mouth, if you want."

"That's quite okay. I don't think I'll do it." She stood up and started to peel off the suit. She winced a few times as she lost the hold of it and it snapped onto her skin. When she was about half-way done, Reno stood up, yawned, and took her into his arms.

"Can you wait until I'm out of this plastic suit?"

"No." He pulled the suit off her. Her hair fell onto her shoulders softly. He buried his face in her hair.

Dawn was coming outside; the light streamed through the window. Reno, still wearing the black suit, lay down, Arien still with him.

"Let's take a nap," he said impishly. "We're ditching work."


	26. 25: Underground Alliances

Hey guys! I'm on time this time! Another filler kind, but it kind of leads into a sub-plot. So forgive me.

ODST girl058 - Reno is... horny. Very sexually active guy. I never dated morons, I only dated intellectuals, so I wouldn't have any idea how I would react. Although I'm guessing I'd use the "headache" excuse a lot. Or kill him. I won't kill him, though, since Reno is not my boyfriend and I can't write a sequel with Reno dead. But Reno is attracted to vice like flies to trash.

NarcissisticRiceball - I think I failed my Beowulf test. Not that I care. That book is seriously screwed. First of all, Grendel ate about 100000 guys from Hrothgar's hall in 12 years. Second, Hrothgar didn't do anything about it. Third, there is no way Beowulf would have been able to breath that long and swim back up. He would have drowned. Anyways! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Mister Bigbucks - thanks! I always try my best, but it's obvious which chapters have been planned for a long time and which haven't. I often get inspirations from my boyfriend, who is slowly starting to resemble Rufus in his mannerisms... I really don't mind it. The cake scene that ensues is inspired from my friend, actually... I wrote it down verbatim.

Moonshine's Guide - I'm making a girl for Rufus, a nice girl who's not a b#tch, don't worry! Rufus is one of my favorite characters, although it completely eludes me how he shoots double-barrel shotguns with one hand. But then, most of FFVII defies physics and anatomy, so I guess it's one of those things.

RaspberryPolarBear - THAT JOKE is the BEST. AND it's true - most of the time. Except that I told that to my boyfriend and he looked at me with a confused look on his face and said, "I thought Eve got the breasts instead." Which means that neither gender has brains. Reno is a pervert. And he lost his virginity in a public bathroom when he was seven (j/k).

Ninja Girl Candy-Chan - As far as you read the story and enjoy it, I don't care if you take a century. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter. I usually see all the flaws in the chapter after I post them, so when people like the slumpy chapters, it encourages me a lot! I'm not Stephen King, so I have my ups and downs. I'm happy you like my stories.

* * *

Chapter 25: Underground Alliances

A nod from the white-clad man sent five dark-clad people onto the ground. The cathedral was three stories towering into the dark, rainy sky, but the Turks jumped nonetheless. And of course; if Rufus said jump, they did not even ask how high. They just jumped.

"I have urgent business to attend," Rufus said quietly through the small microphone attached to his headpiece. "I will instruct you to get me when you are finished."

The five nodded, dispersed into the darkness and the crowd. The leather-clad Turks melted into the darkness well; perhaps it was because Turks liked black, or maybe it was because of DeVir's personal choice. Reno was second-in-command, Elena was the technician, Rude was the combat leader, Tseng was the boss, but Arien had become the tactician of the group, the person who decided the minute details. Her training as the squadron leader in the Midgar Military Academy was paying off; add another bonus to her list, the fact that even Reno listened to her. Her quiet demeanor and her ability to survive defeating the odds had earned Turks' grudging respect. But then, she had been a Turk for a few years now.

Rufus watched the slender forms disappear, then turned. Pulling on a long, dark coat, he too, disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Arien DeVir knew that she belonged in the darkness. She felt like a feline specie, prowling through the dark, her eyes probably glowing eerily in the darkness. She turned, motioned the rest to go on. She had a mission from Rufus that no other knew about, mainly because if Reno knew about it he would go ballistic and go on a killing spree.

Rufus knew the importance of having alliances, whether it was with an official company or an illegal organization. When he heard – briefly – about where Arien had been during her self-exile, he had determined that aligning himself with the gang could bring possible profits. He had asked the young Turk to return and give a possible alliance with the leader.

Arien was not sure if that was the right course. She knew instinctively that Giorno, in his youthfulness, would not say no to her. She also knew that Rufus knew that. But she also felt that she was taking advantage of his justice and sense of honor, if such thing existed in the gang organization. But her first obstacle would be to gain entrance.

She walked through the people to the deserted alley. The abandoned building was still abandoned. She went to the familiar corner, kicked off the carpet, and pulled open the trapdoor.

She even landed like a cat.

"You!"

She raised her eyebrow, her hands jammed in the long stand-collar leather coat. Her hair was sprinkled with drops of rain, and it glistened in the light. "Yes?"

"Why the hell are you here?" Ah, so someone remembered her.

"I need to see your boss," she replied honestly. "Now."

"Why?"

"Oh, not again," said the blond head, and she grinned as she saw the familiar face. Fugo's hair was still bizarre, but his eyes were sharper than ever. "Let her pass."

"Good evening," she said coolly as the young man escorted her through the doorways. Well, not exactly young; everyone except teenagers seemed to be older than her. She felt a slight disadvantage.

"Giorno is waiting for you," Fugo said, also unemotionally. "He's beyond that door."

"Did I wake him up?" She asked. The door led to the young gang leader's bedroom.

"No," said Fugo, but whispered in her ear. "But you've kept him up enough."

She looked at him. "Meaning?"

"I mean exactly what I say." Fugo winked. "Nice to have you back."

She turned on her heels and walked through the door, tossing the wet coat onto a boy nearby. She was searched thoroughly by a guard, who took all her weapons away but not without reluctance after seeing her scowl. She did not bother to tell him that she had knives in her knee-high boots. No point telling all her secrets to her stranger.

She knocked on the plain door. The doorknob rattled, and the door opened. Giorno was dressed in a simple white gown and black velvet trousers; as per usual, the front of the gown was open. His hair was still blond, and a trifle messy. He did not smile when he saw her, but merely said, "come in."

The door shut behind her.

The room was still sparsely furnished, with a bed and a desk. It was very frugal, considering that this gang controlled most of the drug flow and anything illegal within the city that the Turks did not conduct. He sat on the bed, and offered her a chair. "Please, sit."

She noticed, with interest, that the blue eyes lingered on her waistline. But the eyes he offered to her were polite, discreet.

"So," he said. "What brings you here? Certainly not employment again."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I am back to the old organization. I come here bearing an offer from Rufus Shinra."

"Rufus?" The young blond raised his own eyebrow. "Rufus Shinra?"

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I work for him. I'm a Turk, you know."

"We know that well," came back the reply. "And the offer?"

"An alliance with one of the still most powerful companies in the world," she stated flatly. "Although you control underground, you can't get above ground. Rufus can get around above ground, but not under. A mutual profit can exist; Rufus offers that he will help you when you need to get above ground, but instead you must help him when he needs the underground network."

"I thought Turks took care of that."

"We're technically above ground; we're recruitment squad."

"We all know that you are."

Arien smiled wryly. "Everyone who's in this business knows that we haven't recruited anyone in years; our assignments are specified in assassinations and doing dirty work. But we're still technically above-ground, and I'm the only one who has connections with the _Passione_. Rufus is starting to rebuild Shinra Company. He needs your help. And…" she waved her hand negligently. "I think you can use our help as well."

"I'll have to consider your offer," he said. "I can't decide this by myself. I'll have to consult others."

"That is fine. I'll be coming back in a week, I think. To get your answer."

"Alright." He nodded. His eyes lingered on her, beyond her, into some distance. And Arien watched in surprise as melancholy and bitterness flashed through his blue eyes. Not wanting to be there anymore, she stood up wordlessly and turned the doorknob. She had seen that expression on her own face far too many times, and it was never associated with happy memories. With a trail of black, she was gone.

* * *

Renaldo Miller was never notorious for his patience. In fact, he was hot-tempered, and tended to use his EMR a bit too often for Tseng's comfort. He was also trigger-happy, and half the population firmly believed that he had no morals and that he was a deranged psychopath, along with the popular theory that there were over 50 infants bearing Reno's DNA.

So it was no big surprise to Arien DeVir, who was his girlfriend for over 2 years now, when she returned and saw the redhead bashing everything within reach with his EMR. Bloody, mangled, gory hunks of flesh decorated the asphalt in grim red, and Reno was currently in the process of turning another corpse into a pulp.

She crossed her arms and waited behind him as he calmly finished the job and turned to search for the next victim. He caught her watching him with a bored expression on her face.

"Are you done?" Arien asked. "The others are coming to pick us up."

"Killing makes me wanna fuck," Reno complained. Arien grasped the charged EMR from his hand, and flipped it off.

"You have my permission to go screw anyone you want to, but not me," she said sternly. "Unfortunately, my job was far harder than just beating corpses into a bloody mess, and I'm dead tired. Now back off."

Reno obeyed but not before Arien registered that there was a warm pressure on her breasts. She gritted her teeth.

"Do you want me to turn you sterile right here and now? I can do that, you know."

"That's quite okay, yo." He hopped back a few feet. "Is this far enough for you?"

She laughed. "Yes."

The car ride back was silent. Reno was driving, so Elena felt that she was in mortal peril. Tseng had other things to do than talk. Rude was always silent. Arien fell asleep in the car; she leaned onto the window, sleeping.

Arien was in the middle of a dream when the tires screeched and Reno cursed so loudly that she woke up. Everyone was alert now; Arien rubbed sleep off her eyes. They were in the parking lot, which seemed quite deserted apart from rows after rows of cars. "What's wrong?"

"That," Reno pointed in front of her. From the back seat, she looked outside.

"Where's Rufus?"

"That's what's wrong," Reno repeated. "Where the hell is he?"

All of them knew that Rufus was not the kind to wander off. He was punctual, correct, meticulous. This could mean only one thing:

Trouble.

They stepped out cautiously, not making a sound. Tseng signaled them to pull out their weapons; Reno's EMR flared blue.

_2,3,_ Tseng signaled with his fingers. Then he pointed at Rude and Arien, then to Reno, Elena, and himself. Then Tseng started to sprint to the left. Elena and Reno followed.

Tseng in the lead, Reno followed, Elena in tow. They halted when they saw a flash of white a few yards away.

"Rufus?" Elena whispered. Tseng nodded.

The three moved in.

* * *

Rufus Shinra regretted for not bringing one of the Turks along. But constant companionship tended to be cloying, and he wanted to be alone.

Big mistake.

He never recognized what fully hit him, but then, the next moment, he was falling through the air onto the ground. Sharp pain lanced through his right leg, and his other leg buckled at the sudden weight.

He pulled out his shotgun and pulled the trigger haphazardly, too blinded by pain to fully aim properly. From the sounds of it, there were more than one attacker, but at least one of them was groaning in pain.

Then black burst in on them. He felt hands grasp him and prop him up, and heard Reno whispering, "What the fuck happened, yo?"

* * *

Rufus was immediately hospitalized. Arien and Reno came to visit along with Tseng and Elena. Rufus ordered the couple that if they were to ever conceive a child again, the child – regardless of the gender – was to be named the heir to the Shinra Estate. He trusted the two to educate the child to survive through the harsh reality, and he trusted the Turks the most. Not to mention that he fully felt the implication of the attempts on his life. Although his subordinates were nearly perfect in their duties, mistakes did occur. He did not want the squabble that was going to occur when leaders died without naming the successor. He even had the documentation made there right on the spot. Arien and Reno left the room after a few hours with very complicated expressions on their faces.

Because his wounds were not that severe, he was roomed with another patient. He would have protested, but at one look at the other patient he decided against it.

The patient was a female, in her early twenties, with auburn hair and emerald green eyes. She looked slight and delicate, with the attitude of a well-bred woman with good education.

"Hello," she said quietly, a little shyly, when Rufus first came into the room on the wheeled bed. "My name is Clarissa."

"Hello, Clarissa," Rufus said coolly. And he made no more responses.

"May I ask your name?"

"Rufus," he said simply. Then he added, as if in afterthought, "Shinra."

"Oh." Clarissa's beautiful face contorted into a small smile. "You're the president of the electric company."

"That is correct."

"My father is the mayor of Junon."

Rufus remembered why the girl looked so familiar. She was there at his ceremony in Junon, so long ago, when Shinra HQ was still up and about, when the Turks were in full swing. He took a look at her again. Her reddish golden hair tumbled in slow waves about her alabaster face. She had a slightly pointy nose and a small mouth. She did not have the aggressiveness that Arien or Elena possessed.

His lips curved upwards as he slumped into the sheets.

* * *

Arien was having a handful as they celebrated Reno's birthday. He was now twenty-five years old. Unfortunately, he acted a fifth of the real age.

"What the fuck!" he yelled as he saw the slices of strawberry shortcakes – his birthday cake that Arien had baked and entrusted to Ivanna to carry it to the restaurant. Ivanna, Zen, Shiv, Elena, Rude, everyone was there, not really to celebrate the redhead's birthday but rather to have a party and drink.

"Yes, Reno?" Arien asked.

"There are 4 slices! FOUR." He glared at her. "You want me dead?"

"Isn't that enough for you?" She looked confused.

"FOUR is bad luck, yo. It's fine to pick from five! Fine to pick from three! But four is bad!"

"That's some stupid superstition," Elena pointed out.

"Yeah? Then tell me why the hell that kitten I got when I was six got his eyes scratched out by another cat and went blind! I'm telling ya, it's because it was a quadruplet, damn it!"

"What happened to the other cat?" Ivanna asked curiously.

"I punched it to death."

Ivanna paled. "I knew I shouldn't have asked."

"Reno," Shiv explained, "by logical deduction someone will have to pick from four eventually."

"Then the waitress secretly takes one away when no one's looking, damn it!" Reno was shouting now. "This place doesn't give good fuckin' services."

"That sounds wrong," Elena whispered. "Especially coming from Reno."

"Reno," Arien was saying, "don't eat it then."

"I want my friggin' birthday cake!"

Arien sighed again. Reno was acting very juvenile. One moment he could be nihilistic and kill a puppy without raising an eyebrow, the next moment he went ballistic over cake. She took a knife and sliced one of them in two.

"There," she said, taking the two half-slices and distributing it to Elena and herself, "now there's three slices. Satisfied?"

"Yes," came back the sarcastic, triumphant reply. She looked at him, and then found herself laughing. No matter how much she had to go through, Reno always made her laugh.

Perhaps that was what kept her going.


	27. 26: Complications of Fatherhood

Uh, as you can now observe, I'm going through a writer's block. So I'm ending this fiction a little early (read: this chapter is the last). But there is a sequel coming up, and I already have the prologue written. So PLEASE! PLEASE PLEASE tune in for the next episode (or the next fiction).

Every single one of you who reads this fiction: I love you, although I don't know all of you. I don't write this for myself - if I did I'll just write it, print it, then forget about it. So if you enjoy this, you're making the time I spend on this worthwhile! Thanks so much!

If anybody would like to volunteer a character for any purpose, I am more than willing to add the character in. Just please message me with the name, gender, and the description, if you wish (otherwise the decision is going to be up to me). As RaspberryPolarBear knows, I use those characters quite often - Ivanna, for example. So if you would like to see your character in the next fiction, please PM me!

ODST girl058 - Reno is a manly dude. Haha. He's funny. Most males are really silly when it comes to girl stuff - I was buying make-up once and my boyfriend drove me, and after I bought a brush he stared at me and said, "You already have two. Why do you need another one?" Silly boy - he doesn't know there are different brushes for different purposes. And they think we're stupid.

Raspberry Polar Bear - that was actually my favorite part in the chapter. I can just imagine Reno saying it coolly, as if it was nothing and he does it everyday. "Oh yeah... I punched it to death". He's a cat-killer! I don't know who got to Rufus, but since hs'a pretty powerful guy he can have his enemies... and thus we have DA TURKS. Except that I'd rather not have Reno as my bodyguard.

Moonshine's Guide - eh... I don't know if I'll hook Rufus up with Clarissa. I thought about doing a fantastic tragically sad love story between Rufus and Clarissa, but then I watched FFVII: AC and realized that Rufus isn't really cut out as a Romeo, especially with the way he's too smart to be Romeo. I won't kill Clarissa, though. I thought about hooking Ivana up too, but she's already married...

Mister Bigbucks - Why, thank you. I don't know what else to say, but thanks so much for reading my fic! By the way, I finally have over 150 reviews for this fic. Yey!

CookieKitten - In Japan, we pronounce Number 4 like the Japanese equivalent of "death", and so it's unlucky. And Reno, being a pothead he is, believes in superstitions. But I heard that a lot of spies and soldiers believe in superstitions. I guess it's because you're life's in danger 24/7. Hey, I still carry around good-luck charms when I have tests. So can't blame Reno.

NarcissisticRiceball - Hey, I'm weird too! Join the club. But then, who exactly is normal? I mean if you repeat it fast enough, it sounds like a character from Star Trek. And I guessed that along Reno's many vices, one of them should be his love for sweets. And so he wants his birthday cake (it was chocolate and strawberry cream with whole bunch of decorations, FYI).

Insanity - Nah, girls aren't picked up by the same old lines. Those are females - not women or girls. See, females just denote the biological sex. Women/girls denote the human gender, which means brains. Women can wear anything they want - if guys wear skirts they're either from Scotland or are gay. Woman can mooch off guys or work. e.t.c. I love being a girl.

Echo - I missed you! Yup, Rufus is finally getting a girlfriend. I'm trying to extend Elena/Tseng relationship, but it's not really getting anywhere. I'm trying to hook up Rude as well - not with Tifa, because I can kinda see Tifa with one of the AVALANCHE members, so maybe another OC - or Scarlett (evil laughter). That'd be terrible.

Ninja Girl Candy-Chan - I had Reno use quite a few ringtones, but I bet it's something really annoying and loud. Or maybe the Turks' Theme, which is also MY ringtone. Not the original FFVII but the new version that was used in the movie. Though it'll be really annoying for the Turks if that same tune came on everytime they appeared.

Here's da fic!

* * *

Chapter 26: Complications of Fatherhood

Reno woke up a few hours later when Arien dashed out of the bed. The bathroom door slammed, and he quite clearly heard someone being violently sick. He wondered for a few minutes who it could be, then as his head cleared he realized that there were only two people in this house – him, and her. That meant that she was sick.

He hopped off the bed. "Arien!"

"What?" came back the muffled voice, with more retching.

"Are you sick?"

"No, I'm doing this for fun," came back the sarcastic reply.

"I'll call a doctor. Go back to bed now."

The sink started to run, and then Arien opened the door with a fluffy white towel in front of her face. "No, Reno, I'm supposed to be like this."

Reno stared at her, confused.

"You're so dense," she said tiredly. She looked pale. "Remember the little problem we had before I walked out?"

Reno nodded.

"Well, I'm so glad. This time I don't think we'll have that."

"This time…?"

She nodded. Slowly, agonizingly, the thought dawned on him.

"Are you…?"

"Yes, Reno, you're going to be a father." She stopped, amused. "Although I'm surprised it didn't come sooner."

Reno was not listening. His head was in panic. The world was spinning. Or maybe he was spinning. He didn't know. He finally managed to open his mouth and blurt out:

"OH MY GOD!"

* * *

Rufus Shinra shook his head, not caring that a strand of his blond hair flopped onto his nose. "I don't believe it."

"Believe what?" Tseng asked, sitting a distance from Rufus' bed. He was punching things into his cell phone, and his fingers were a blur as he expertly input the new data. He was not really looking at the president, but Rufus knew he was listening.

"The fact that Reno was able to procreate with another mako-enhanced individual was already a miracle. It's happened again? Are you sure DeVir is actually mako-treated?" Rufus sighed. "Well, if she is actually mako-enhanced, then what kind of a child is the infant going to be?"

"A mix between Reno and DeVir," Tseng replied.

"Doesn't that frighten you?"

"A little." Tseng pursed his thin lips. "Let's hope it doesn't have DeVir's temper and Reno's humor. That would not be a pleasant combination."

Pleasant combination could have qualified as the understatement of the millennium, but Rufus Shinra did not comment on that. He regretted – a little – on naming the child his heir, but then, he could trust the parents to teach the child survival. If anything, Reno and Arien knew how to survive. He could trust them to pass on that knowledge to the child.

Tseng stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to go back to Healin. Reno was ready to explode when I left," Tseng explained. Rufus nodded, giving him leave. He eyed Clarissa, who was reading a book. Her auburn hair was unbound today, and her emerald green eyes were on the letters printed on the page. She was demure and gentle, unlike Scarlett, who was a slut, or Elena, who decidedly chased Tseng around, or Arien, who marched to her goal like a tank. Rufus found himself observing her with increased interest.

* * *

Reno was still confused. All of a sudden he found additional responsibility literally on his shoulders, and he was not ready for them.

"Reno," Arien finally said exasperatedly, "It's not like this kid is coming here this very moment. Relax."

"Yeah?" Reno snapped back. "Yesterday I was celebrating my birthday, damn it! Today my girlfriend tells me she's pregnant. This world is seriously screwed."

She decided against arguing with him. Reno could wallow in self-pity now, but when it was actually around the time to have the baby, the two of them would have to run around like their asses were on fire. And you couldn't really wallow in self-pity when your rear-ends were getting scorched. And it was nearly Christmas; Reno was a winter-born baby. Arien wondered how she was going to manage all the things going on with Reno just wallowing.

"Look, Reno," Arien said mildly, "if you want me to get rid of the kid…"

"Huh?" Reno looked up. "Nah, that's okay. I'm just whining." He winked. "Besides, it's time I settle down, ya know?"

Arien raised her eyebrow. "Are you really Reno?" she asked skeptically. "Or did an alien take over? I think I like the alien better."

"Aw, thanks, yo."

In a few days Rufus was out of the hospital, but not before he promised Clarissa that he would visit her. As Reno told Tseng with an amusement in his voice, "Rufus is finally getting laid". Tseng raised an eyebrow – Reno secretly believed that Wutaians took lessons in waggling their eyebrows – but said nothing. The faster Rufus got married, the better. Rufus was in his mid-twenties and he had never even glanced at a female with interest.

"She'll be a nice decoration," was Arien's criticism, "but not an effective wife of a President of a company."

"Why?" Reno asked.

"She's too fragile. She's never gone hungry before… life was roses for her, everything given. She takes things for granted. A wife has a lot of responsibilities, especially when your husband is a corporate president." She stretched like a cat. "Which is one of the reasons I'm so glad I'm not the one marrying Rufus. That'd be terrible."

Reno nearly blurted out that she was very close at one point, then kept his mouth shut. It was knowledge that really did no use.

* * *

That winter, it snowed profusely; Yule was a private ordeal, and it passed quickly. Reno remembered the lonely Yule's before Arien appeared in his life, or the drunken nights when he drank away the celebration. But these years, Arien was there to keep him company and to smile, to decorate the tree. It was a stupid custom, but Arien liked to decorate the tree, so he acquiesced. The Turks went to the New Year's, keeping up with the tradition. They watched the sun rise in silence.

"Man, we made it through the year, yo," Reno said quietly. "I had doubts 'bout that."

The sun rose in its pink brilliance, shattering the darkness and giving gleam to the snow as they stood. Reno turned and saw Arien smiling; although they were abnormal when it came to adventures, they had a pretty ordinary relationship, Reno thought. He remembered the late-night telephones and the visits to the sea, the occasional fights and the dates.

Yeah, he had a good life. Despite all the worries and the scars he had on his body, he had a good life, with good friends and a good girlfriend. He grinned to the air, glad that he was Reno. He wasn't Cloud, who was pining for a dead girl, and he was glad that he was Reno. He wasn't bound by proprieties and crap like that, so he was glad that he wasn't Rufus. He wasn't still after the girl that could never be his, so he was glad that he was not Rude. And he sure had fun, so he was glad he was not Tseng. For the first time in his life, he felt complete.


	28. 28: Epilogue

Ah, the last installment of this story. Truth be told, I'm not sure if Reno having a kid was the right option. I mean, I can't imagine him as a dad. Or my dad. Oh well. I really don't want to make Reno into a responsible guy, but parenthood is nothing but responsibility. I tried my best.

For those of you who stuck with me, I can't express how much gratitude I feel. First and foremost, RaspberryPolarBear, who gave me a character, reviewed faithfully no matter how crappy my chapters were, e.t.c. I really can't name everyone who reviewed, as I have no idea how to go through each of them, but I will await your return for the next installment, of course! And again, thanks so much!

For those who provided characters - sooner or later, they will make appearances in the next story. I might make changes in some of them, because if all of them kicked asses like that, then Reno and Arien will definitely die within the first few chapters, and I can't really have that yet. But they will appear, so no worry.

Now onto thanks:

Echo - LOL. I was debating myself about whether to do it or not, but since I killed off the first kid, I decided to make them keep the second one. I still don't know if making Reno a dad was a right thing to do... it might be a little bizarre. Oh well. What can I say? As far as we have Arien, I think we'd be okay. But let's hope the kid won't be Reno #2. I don't think anyone can handle it.

RaspberryPolarBear - MY OLDEST READER. (huggles) Reno is a dad... (shudder) That thought scares the heck outta me. (swats Reno away as he screams at her for giving him crappy roles) as far as Arien is the mother, though, I think we can trust the kid not to fall into the toilet and drown or anything. She's going to be a psycho mom who demands straight A's or something, though. Poor kid. Crazy dad and a psycho mom. Hey, that sounds like me...

Ninja Girl Candy-Chan - no. And he won't. They're already pretty much married in all but technicality, and I had the mind to make them get married in Turk Suits, but then that made me laugh hysterically. I also can't imagine Reno in a tux, so that was definitely out. Rufus in a tux, yes, Sephiroth, yes, Vince, yes, Cloud, no, Reno, no. I'm glad you liked the ending, I did too.

GacktLover14 - I can add the stuff, of course. I love making characters, but when I start writing about them extensively, I get tired of them most of the time. Arien is one of my long-running characters, as well as some other characters in mind for a complete fiction (non-fan). I'll use your character, because I like her. Very personal and human. Thanks1

Princess-Starr - and YES, PLEASE COME BACK! StarlessEyes kinda left me as well as InuKagNoMoreDreams, and I got a little depressed afterwards. I don't blame them, as they have their own stuff to do, but it's still a little disheartening when your faithful leaders leave. So if you can spare fifteen minutes or so, please come back! I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

Insanity - A lot of people think that if the girl is pretty, it's a Sue. I don't think that's true. None of us wants to read about a girl who is 300000lb, has more acne than skin, never washes her hair, and snorts every single breath. So if your girls are "dolly" as in pretty, then I'd gladly take them. FFVII is populated with pretty people anyways. It's almost as if there are no ugly people. (Hey, what about me, Enix? HUH?)

And... here is the epilogue. With a little cliffie that will be explained in the next story. Haha. I'm evil.

* * *

Epilogue 

The child was born on a beautiful autumn day, right before Arien's own birthday. Reno was relieved. As Arien's abdomen grew larger, she seemed to take immense joy in making her discomfort his fault. Well, he could understand that it was his fault, but he still didn't like her accusatory glares that constantly hounded him. That was over.

"What should we name him?" Reno asked absently as Arien ate the orange heartily. The mother and the infant were healthy, although now that Arien's abdomen had shrunk, she looked painfully small in her hospital gown. The baby cooed, its large, blue-green eyes unfocused. The young parents had sighed when they first saw the eyes. They wanted brown eyes. They both originally had brown eyes. But out came blue-green. Reno was satisfied that the shape was exactly the same as Arien's. Arien disliked it.

Arien thought as she ate the orange, sitting up in her bed. "I definitely don't want to name him any version of Renaldo, Reno," she stated flatly. "It'd become too confusing, and I can really do without two Reno's running around. Honestly." She sucked on the bag, devouring the pulp. "And no versions of Rufus either. I definitely don't want to scold a Rufus."

"We are NOT naming the kid after my dad, so help me god."

"I kind of guessed." She generously accepted the kiss without a murmur. "I want to name him Vincent."

"After Vincent Valentine?"

Arien nodded. "It's a respectable name, and I don't want him to be growing like either of us. You're too crazy" – Reno grinned – "And I'm too neurotic over small things. I highly doubt our kid is going to receive the Shinra fortune, but I do want him to be able to perceive things without going trigger-happy or flying off the handle."

"Well, I've met the guy, and he seems decent enough, yo," Reno said. "Although..."

"He kicked…"

"My ass." Reno winced. "Let's hope this Vince won't kick my ass too."

"I highly doubt that. At least not for a while." She smiled at the baby, who was shaking small fists in the air. "Poor child. You as a father…"

"And you as a mother. Yeah, kinda pity the kid too." He grinned mischievously. "I still can't handle me being dad…"

"I'm sure you've fathered a dozen bastards all over Midgar. I don't even know how many siblings this kid has."

"I was sterile." Reno retorted. "All mako-mutants are. Good thing too. Don't really want Seph Version 2.0 running around."

"And yet we have a product from Renaldo Miller. Gee, I wonder."

"Unless you cheated on me."

"More likely for you to cheat on me."

"I have, kitten." Reno grinned. "Though you know all about it."

Arien's scowl did not change. Instead, she asked, "How do you feel different from a week ago? We just have an added member to the house. That's all, you know."

"I'm so used to being single. Now I can't drink as much as I could."

"You haven't done that for a while."

"Yeah, but now my right is gone." He looked at her, then grinned again. "Don't think you're worth it." He expression changed. He now looked serious. "Besides, that kid – whether I like it or not – is my kid too. I can't really leave him in an alley and forget about it, the way I forgot about other stuff."

"Added responsibility. For someone like you, it must be heavy."

Reno ignored the comment. Then Arien said, "You've changed."

"I have? How, yo?"

"I changed you," came back the reply. "You're more… toned down, I guess. No more flying-off-the-handle, I love guns and I love sex Reno."

"I still love sex."

"Thank you for your honesty."

"No problem." Reno replied. Then he grinned and said, "aren't you glad that my sterility didn't work with you?"

"Not really," came back the reply with a raised eyebrow. "Now I have two Reno's to worry about."

While the entire discourse was going on, Rufus Shinra was staring out the window – again. But this time, he was not thinking about the raven-haired, blue-green-eyed woman who had been snatched away from him before he could lay his eyes upon her. Rather, his thoughts were fixed on an auburn-haired, spring-green-eyed maiden with a demure smile and creamy complexion.

As he thought more about her, an old fuzzy feeling about a certain woman flashed in his mind.

He dismissed it without much thought.


End file.
